Having indulged first in writing "foundation posts" and then "next level up" foundation posts, I'm almost through with any walking-focused/no-license-in-the-suburbs-focused posts. I have in mind a few (and truly, relatively brief) "top-of-the-foundation" posts that will be far less tedious (boring) than any of the previous ones.
The one additional "next-level-up foundation" post I do want to include before moving yet farther up to the "top of the foundation" is the post I'm about to make next; and the one that will provide in detail why it was, exactly, that not being able to get what I needed through most of the Winter meant that I'd have to get over just that much (separate from walking and separate from leg injuries, and whatever else has been part of the picture) once I was finally able to get out and walk again. I won't go more into that right now.
The main point in this post is that the subject of not being able to get what I needed to stay OK-enough is a subject worth elaborating on.
As I mentioned somewhere at the beginning of these "foundation posts", I just selected this blog as one location for them because it's the "intersection" of the two names under which I'd done writing online. I'll probably move the posts and/or de-emphasize this blog somewhere along the way. For now, this is where I'm making these posts. My aim/hope with any of this particular bunch of posts has never been to think I'm writing something that will make "a good read" or "entertaining read" for any readers. I'm not writing for readers with these posts. I'm writing for a number of my own purposes/reasons.
First of all, as I'm closing out this whole "Winter/Spring/Summer" part of my no-license/walking experience, I want to get down in writing all the details so that I won't, at some point, forget some of them. As I said earlier in these posts, one reason I wanted to get this "rough-draft" information down is that I have a number of ideas for future writing. I'll figure out where to keep this "rough-draft"/raw information some time later.
Also, I have a number of other reasons of my own for wanting to get this account down in writing. I won't go into those here.
Yet one additional reason is that while I'm not ordinarily one who writes as a way of "clearing my head", with this one particular "saga" involving "the walking thing", I have felt like I wanted to put it in writing, if for no other reason, to clear my head of it all. Having reached a point where so many elements of the whole thing have been "running" alongside whatever else I've had to think about in life; no longer need to be doing that (at least to the extent that they have been); I do just feel like I need to clear out what is not necessary. (I've got plenty of room in my "mental files" for stuff that's been processed and is ready to be filed away from future reference. This whole "saga"/"scenario" - whatever it should be called - has been a whole other kind of thing.) The ever-changing nature of all the elements/variables has made a seemingly infinite mix of issues; and by virtue of the temporary/fleeting nature of it all there's really no practical reason to fill my "mental storage files" with anything but the basics, or main picture.
So, head-clearing has, without a doubt, been one of my many motives with these posts.
Another motive is that while I'm working my way up from exhaustion, I'm still not all that in the mood to do too much writing that requires too much of whatever it takes to produce something that IS, in fact, for any readers.
These posts are easy for me. All this stuff is what's been on my mind for such a long time. It turns out (and I've always kind of operated this way anyway), that if one really isn't "running on all of her usual eight cylinders" and is instead running on six, or four, or two... The most productive (in any number of ways) thing to do is figure out what one CAN do, based on those "limited cylinders". That, in itself, can help get through some of the times when one feels awfully close to either having the engine seize up, or at least to running out of gas. I know that's kind of a mixed metaphor within a metaphor - or something like that, or maybe it isn't really. I suppose I could throw in a dirty air filter or any number of other things that keep a car from running well. Sometimes, I suppose (no, I know), there are times when a number of complicating issues do, in fact, contribute to a larger picture.
In any case, writing stuff that's so readily on hand (in mind) may be, or feel, kind of lazy. It is, however, in its own way, fairly productive (even if only indirectly).
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Almost Finished With All "Foundation" Posts
Having indulged first in writing "foundation posts" and then "next level up" foundation posts, I'm almost through with any walking-focused/no-license-in-the-suburbs-focused posts. I have in mind a few (and truly, relatively brief) "top-of-the-foundation" posts that will be far less tedious (boring) than any of the previous ones.
The one additional "next-level-up foundation" post I do want to include before moving yet farther up to the "top of the foundation" is the post I'm about to make next; and the one that will provide in detail why it was, exactly, that not being able to get what I needed through most of the Winter meant that I'd have to get over just that much (separate from walking and separate from leg injuries, and whatever else has been part of the picture) once I was finally able to get out and walk again. I won't go more into that right now.
The main point in this post is that the subject of not being able to get what I needed to stay OK-enough is a subject worth elaborating on.
As I mentioned somewhere at the beginning of these "foundation posts", I just selected this blog as one location for them because it's the "intersection" of the two names under which I'd done writing online. I'll probably move the posts and/or de-emphasize this blog somewhere along the way. For now, this is where I'm making these posts. My aim/hope with any of this particular bunch of posts has never been to think I'm writing something that will make "a good read" or "entertaining read" for any readers. I'm not writing for readers with these posts. I'm writing for a number of my own purposes/reasons.
First of all, as I'm closing out this whole "Winter/Spring/Summer" part of my no-license/walking experience, I want to get down in writing all the details so that I won't, at some point, forget some of them. As I said earlier in these posts, one reason I wanted to get this "rough-draft" information down is that I have a number of ideas for future writing. I'll figure out where to keep this "rough-draft"/raw information some time later.
Also, I have a number of other reasons of my own for wanting to get this account down in writing. I won't go into those here.
Yet one additional reason is that while I'm not ordinarily one who writes as a way of "clearing my head", with this one particular "saga" involving "the walking thing", I have felt like I wanted to put it in writing, if for no other reason, to clear my head of it all. Having reached a point where so many elements of the whole thing have been "running" alongside whatever else I've had to think about in life; no longer need to be doing that (at least to the extent that they have been); I do just feel like I need to clear out what is not necessary. (I've got plenty of room in my "mental files" for stuff that's been processed and is ready to be filed away from future reference. This whole "saga"/"scenario" - whatever it should be called - has been a whole other kind of thing.) The ever-changing nature of all the elements/variables has made a seemingly infinite mix of issues; and by virtue of the temporary/fleeting nature of it all there's really no practical reason to fill my "mental storage files" with anything but the basics, or main picture.
So, head-clearing has, without a doubt, been one of my many motives with these posts.
Another motive is that while I'm working my way up from exhaustion, I'm still not all that in the mood to do too much writing that requires too much of whatever it takes to produce something that IS, in fact, for any readers.
These posts are easy for me. All this stuff is what's been on my mind for such a long time. It turns out (and I've always kind of operated this way anyway), that if one really isn't "running on all of her usual eight cylinders" and is instead running on six, or four, or two... The most productive (in any number of ways) thing to do is figure out what one CAN do, based on those "limited cylinders". That, in itself, can help get through some of the times when one feels awfully close to either having the engine seize up, or at least to running out of gas. I know that's kind of a mixed metaphor within a metaphor - or something like that, or maybe it isn't really. I suppose I could throw in a dirty air filter or any number of other things that keep a car from running well. Sometimes, I suppose (no, I know), there are times when a number of complicating issues do, in fact, contribute to a larger picture.
In any case, writing stuff that's so readily on hand (in mind) may be, or feel, kind of lazy. It is, however, in its own way, fairly productive (even if only indirectly).
The one additional "next-level-up foundation" post I do want to include before moving yet farther up to the "top of the foundation" is the post I'm about to make next; and the one that will provide in detail why it was, exactly, that not being able to get what I needed through most of the Winter meant that I'd have to get over just that much (separate from walking and separate from leg injuries, and whatever else has been part of the picture) once I was finally able to get out and walk again. I won't go more into that right now.
The main point in this post is that the subject of not being able to get what I needed to stay OK-enough is a subject worth elaborating on.
As I mentioned somewhere at the beginning of these "foundation posts", I just selected this blog as one location for them because it's the "intersection" of the two names under which I'd done writing online. I'll probably move the posts and/or de-emphasize this blog somewhere along the way. For now, this is where I'm making these posts. My aim/hope with any of this particular bunch of posts has never been to think I'm writing something that will make "a good read" or "entertaining read" for any readers. I'm not writing for readers with these posts. I'm writing for a number of my own purposes/reasons.
First of all, as I'm closing out this whole "Winter/Spring/Summer" part of my no-license/walking experience, I want to get down in writing all the details so that I won't, at some point, forget some of them. As I said earlier in these posts, one reason I wanted to get this "rough-draft" information down is that I have a number of ideas for future writing. I'll figure out where to keep this "rough-draft"/raw information some time later.
Also, I have a number of other reasons of my own for wanting to get this account down in writing. I won't go into those here.
Yet one additional reason is that while I'm not ordinarily one who writes as a way of "clearing my head", with this one particular "saga" involving "the walking thing", I have felt like I wanted to put it in writing, if for no other reason, to clear my head of it all. Having reached a point where so many elements of the whole thing have been "running" alongside whatever else I've had to think about in life; no longer need to be doing that (at least to the extent that they have been); I do just feel like I need to clear out what is not necessary. (I've got plenty of room in my "mental files" for stuff that's been processed and is ready to be filed away from future reference. This whole "saga"/"scenario" - whatever it should be called - has been a whole other kind of thing.) The ever-changing nature of all the elements/variables has made a seemingly infinite mix of issues; and by virtue of the temporary/fleeting nature of it all there's really no practical reason to fill my "mental storage files" with anything but the basics, or main picture.
So, head-clearing has, without a doubt, been one of my many motives with these posts.
Another motive is that while I'm working my way up from exhaustion, I'm still not all that in the mood to do too much writing that requires too much of whatever it takes to produce something that IS, in fact, for any readers.
These posts are easy for me. All this stuff is what's been on my mind for such a long time. It turns out (and I've always kind of operated this way anyway), that if one really isn't "running on all of her usual eight cylinders" and is instead running on six, or four, or two... The most productive (in any number of ways) thing to do is figure out what one CAN do, based on those "limited cylinders". That, in itself, can help get through some of the times when one feels awfully close to either having the engine seize up, or at least to running out of gas. I know that's kind of a mixed metaphor within a metaphor - or something like that, or maybe it isn't really. I suppose I could throw in a dirty air filter or any number of other things that keep a car from running well. Sometimes, I suppose (no, I know), there are times when a number of complicating issues do, in fact, contribute to a larger picture.
In any case, writing stuff that's so readily on hand (in mind) may be, or feel, kind of lazy. It is, however, in its own way, fairly productive (even if only indirectly).
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Just Some More On The "Foundation Posts Thing"
It's now the middle of July. While it took me until about the third/fourth week in June to finally get to where I didn't feel like I was getting too much of a large-muscle work-out - not from the injuries, but from being out of shape after not walking outside at all for most of the Winter (or at least once the blizzard/snow and record cold started coming - which was "most of the Winter"). The problem at that point in (in June) was, however, that when I go out walking to the store it involves the long walk. That means having to take with me an umbrella and the folding cane that I bring just in case I need it for some reason. I've actually never used a cane for walking because by the time I got started walking again a cane just slowed me down. BUT, I sometimes to use one to climb or use the handle as an arm rest if I find a place to sit and have a coffee.
Just this week I decided that if I wasn't going to walk the long walk to the grocery store, and was instead only going to one of the closer convenience stores, I would no longer bring a cane with me. As it happened, the day I decided I would no longer bring a cane with me was a day after I'd done something awkward when carrying groceries upstairs, so even though I didn't really do anything much, I had a "funny little thing" go on that made me think it may be wise to bring the cane just this one more time.
Feeling "regular" when walking, though, means not having to bring unnecessary weight with me (like the umbrella and cane). Well, I'm not going out walking without those, which then means whatever else I'm carrying or will be buying will add to the weight of what I'm carrying.
Anyway, the day I went out it was July and - without a doubt - a hot Summer day. (We actually had some 40's/50's in June this year). So, while it hasn't been the leg injuries that have been the issue since I've started walking again after Winter, the "large-muscle" work-out aggravated by carrying extra weight with me remained, to some extent, into July. Then the heat turned things particularly uncomfortable. Even without too much heat, however, I've found that pretty much work up a sweat even when it isn't hot out.
I doesn't help that because I may start out feeling really good and as a result tend to walk to quickly. That means starting to feel it far too soon along the walk on the way out. I have this whole "routine" where I then kind of try to do a "slow-down" time if I've started out walking too quickly.
The real point here is mainly that the heat is now factored in right at this time when I've a) finally got the injuries pretty much "there", and b) I've finally gotten my "general self" (back, general leg muscles) used to doing long walks again.
There are two other factors that I want to address in separate posts. One is the matter of trying to make the bag I carry as light as possible (and yet needing so much of what I carry in it BECAUSE I'm a) on a long walk, and b) going to some store).
The other, and more serious matter, is that over the course of the Winter (but particularly after a few weeks of not being able to get out more than once a week most weeks), I got to where I was in some "real burn-out/exhaustion" thing.
I've been working on getting out of that, or at least getting to where I feel mainly like myself, even if not running on "all my cylinders".
The exhaustion thing is something I'll address in its own post. Where it has been a problem as I've been working on getting out of it (at least to some reasonable degree) has been that |at least from what I've heard/read) if a person lives under too much stress for too long and runs into "adrenal gland issues" some types of work-outs actually put too much of a strain on the person's system.
I've seen one PBS "thing" which featured an author and fitness person who offered some simple-but-not-too-draining exercises that can help encourage some better balance (of the system) without putting too much drain on it. These are "small" exercises/movements that people can do all through any day. They aren't a big, work-up-a-sweat, kind of work-out. (I've kept thinking that I may order that program at some point; but I've built up quite the library of fitness DVDs over the years, and because I've had to so dramatically modify so many of the moves in any of them, I've already pretty much got any number of fitness DVD's don't involve working up a sweat - at least haven't involved it while the two leg injuries were such that I couldn't do much of anything that involved either of them. Well, let me put it this way: There was a time when I kept a couple of hand-weights at my computer desk and kind of considered that "about as much working out" as was going to happen.
Once the injuries got to where I could at all, and reasonably, expect to at least do some modified version of a regular fitness routine; it kind of seemed as if that was all I needed.
The trouble was that as the post-blizzard, snow-an deep-freeze weeks of Winter wore on, my "exhaustion thing" got worse and worse. So, by the time I was finally able to get out and start walking again (AND getting some Vitamin D from the sun, by the way); I wasn't just dealing with being out of shape from not having walked all Winter, or with whatever remnants of issues there were associated with the injuries, or with anything related to how much weight I carried in my bag. I was dealing with what seemed clear to me that "exhaustion thing" that made anything that at all seemed like a large-muscle work-out feel like it was too much to deal with.
Over the three or so weeks since I'd finally gotten to where I felt reasonably normal (provided the circumstances were at all normal and reasonable), the weight and awkwardness of lugging extra weight haven't helped much.
After some trial and error in my efforts to get used to doing the long walks again, I eventually reallized that once I reached a certain point it was actually better not to go out and walk at all. I'd walked enough (since May/June) to assure myself that I'd reached enough of "used to walking again" point that I had to be careful not to do something that threw off whatever progress I'd made.
Most often because of some awkward combination of weight-carrying/movements, it has taken about three days to get past any "little muscle stuff" I've done on the walks (between, say, May and now). Ironically, when conditions have been good (and I've been feeling good), it's been kind of natural to walk faster or decide to walk farther). I wasn't planning on this one, but a couple of weeks ago (and just as I thought I was "all back" with the walk), the store closed. That meant adding x number of yards to the walk. It also meant carrying anything heavy-ish in my bag on the turn trip that much farther. Since there's pretty much no place for a person to sit and cool off and/or rest before doing the return walk; on that one or two days when I wasn't used to longer walk I did the longer walk with only limited opportunity to break it up.
As a result, an extra "thing" of increasing the distance got thrown into the mix. Fine. I worked with it. A few times, though, doing that extra meant getting thrown off with regard to whatever muscles were used to doing whatever walk there was.
I'd already noticed this on my own, but I've since read that any time someone "gets a muscle thing" after increasing exercise, it generally takes three days for it to get back to feeling normal again. Boy, can I vouch for that (not that anyone needs me to vouch for it). Just as fitness people/resources have said (and I've noticed) on the day when I "did the thing" I hardly noticed it too much I'd be enough of a mess for other reasons that any twinges I knew there were because a day's walk were barely noticeable, or at least, the least of my problems.
It's been on the second day when i've essentially felt "crippled". The third day has generally been much more reasonable. A couple of aspirin late into the third day has most often meant speeding up feeling "good as new" (at least with regard to whatever I'd done that "crippled me" yet again, for a day or so).
The trouble, for me, has been the combination of things I was left with after Winter, because not walking would mean not getting used to walking again; while walking made "the exhaustion thing" worse. Then in the mix were those times when I couldn't go out and walk because I was in a "rest the muscles" mode. There have been days when I've done the walk on "the last day" of muscle recuperation. I've either taken aspirin before leaving or else waited until I was out and took a couple of aspirin while out. Depending on the rest of "all the circumstances and issues", sometimes that hasn't been too bad.
There have been (still are) a number of different types of "Catch-22's" involved with the whole "project" of getting all the Winter and "rusty" issues ironed out. So many of those issues have been a matter of having to be dealt with simultaneously and on each walk (and depending on any of the variables mentioned in an earlier post).
Based only on how I feel, I have no doubt that being able to get out and walk (and get some sun and fresh air, as well) as helped, to some degree, the "exhaustion thing". One important factor is just being able to get out to some store and get what I need to get myself to where I feel like I'm "the regular me" enough to have the "mental energy" (and it isn't all just "mental") to function reasonably well within some generally challenging circumstances that are related to any number of things in my "overall life".
What I have noticed has been that just as with trying to improve on any number number of "issues" simultaneously, so, too, has the gradual improvement of those things been simultaneous.
The "exhaustion thing" is something I'll write some separate posts on. As it is at this point, I can see how I could be very close to at least getting that "exhaustion thing" to better than where it was, say, at the beginning of the Winter - mainly because, while I've been dealing with some degree of feeling burned out for quite awhile now, it has (at least to some degree, and in a lot of ways, sometimes depending on the variables) been manageable (or at least mostly manageable) ).
One problem was that just as I'd gotten so close to getting the both leg injuries back to normal and to the point where it was almost as if there had been no injuries (first or otherwise)... That was when Fall Winter kicked in and threw off a lot of progess I'd made. That, by itself, was mentally draining. Christmas was in the mix, so there was that (and Christmas is a nice thing). I won't even get into any number of less-than-nice things there were (and in some cases, had been for a long time).
It was just, I suppose, that I've had some degree of "burn-out" or "exhaustion thing" since before the first leg injury (and therefore completely unrelated to it). So, once Winter and everything that went with it kicked in, it was only a matter of time before not being able to get out (most weeks) at all other than one day on the weekend would really start to get to me. From the time of the first blizzard (and beginning of ridiculous cold), I could feel the exhaustion thing getting worse and worse. Even with that, though, it wasn't really until, say, late February/early March when I really saw things (me) getting out of control.
What I didn't know was whether I'd ever be able to turn the exhaustion thing back into something sort of manageable or not. Of course, at the end of Winter and through the Spring, I was looking at the exhaustion thing from my pre-Winter, "tail-end-of-the-injuries" viewpoint. Now, I've had May and June to be working on making up for the time lost as a result of Winter (and after the second injury had its second anniversary). So, now that I've had that time to make the progress (of one kind or another) that I've made up to now, I have the "mental energy points" of looking at the whole picture from truly a "post-injury" (and also "post-Winter") viewpoint.
I don't have visions of the "exhaustion thing" completely disappearing at this point. I do, however, feel as if I've emerged from the deepest depths of that particular thing to the point where I can see "manageable" (or "mostly manageable") again (and in fact, feel it again under the right set of circumstances).
In any case, I'll post later about what contributed to the exhaustion thing in Winter. It was mainly a matter of not being able to get the right foods/substances I needed (and I'm assuming as a result of "where I was" exhaustion-wise) AND it had nothing to do with not having plenty of decent food in the house.
Just this week I decided that if I wasn't going to walk the long walk to the grocery store, and was instead only going to one of the closer convenience stores, I would no longer bring a cane with me. As it happened, the day I decided I would no longer bring a cane with me was a day after I'd done something awkward when carrying groceries upstairs, so even though I didn't really do anything much, I had a "funny little thing" go on that made me think it may be wise to bring the cane just this one more time.
Feeling "regular" when walking, though, means not having to bring unnecessary weight with me (like the umbrella and cane). Well, I'm not going out walking without those, which then means whatever else I'm carrying or will be buying will add to the weight of what I'm carrying.
Anyway, the day I went out it was July and - without a doubt - a hot Summer day. (We actually had some 40's/50's in June this year). So, while it hasn't been the leg injuries that have been the issue since I've started walking again after Winter, the "large-muscle" work-out aggravated by carrying extra weight with me remained, to some extent, into July. Then the heat turned things particularly uncomfortable. Even without too much heat, however, I've found that pretty much work up a sweat even when it isn't hot out.
I doesn't help that because I may start out feeling really good and as a result tend to walk to quickly. That means starting to feel it far too soon along the walk on the way out. I have this whole "routine" where I then kind of try to do a "slow-down" time if I've started out walking too quickly.
The real point here is mainly that the heat is now factored in right at this time when I've a) finally got the injuries pretty much "there", and b) I've finally gotten my "general self" (back, general leg muscles) used to doing long walks again.
There are two other factors that I want to address in separate posts. One is the matter of trying to make the bag I carry as light as possible (and yet needing so much of what I carry in it BECAUSE I'm a) on a long walk, and b) going to some store).
The other, and more serious matter, is that over the course of the Winter (but particularly after a few weeks of not being able to get out more than once a week most weeks), I got to where I was in some "real burn-out/exhaustion" thing.
I've been working on getting out of that, or at least getting to where I feel mainly like myself, even if not running on "all my cylinders".
The exhaustion thing is something I'll address in its own post. Where it has been a problem as I've been working on getting out of it (at least to some reasonable degree) has been that |at least from what I've heard/read) if a person lives under too much stress for too long and runs into "adrenal gland issues" some types of work-outs actually put too much of a strain on the person's system.
I've seen one PBS "thing" which featured an author and fitness person who offered some simple-but-not-too-draining exercises that can help encourage some better balance (of the system) without putting too much drain on it. These are "small" exercises/movements that people can do all through any day. They aren't a big, work-up-a-sweat, kind of work-out. (I've kept thinking that I may order that program at some point; but I've built up quite the library of fitness DVDs over the years, and because I've had to so dramatically modify so many of the moves in any of them, I've already pretty much got any number of fitness DVD's don't involve working up a sweat - at least haven't involved it while the two leg injuries were such that I couldn't do much of anything that involved either of them. Well, let me put it this way: There was a time when I kept a couple of hand-weights at my computer desk and kind of considered that "about as much working out" as was going to happen.
Once the injuries got to where I could at all, and reasonably, expect to at least do some modified version of a regular fitness routine; it kind of seemed as if that was all I needed.
The trouble was that as the post-blizzard, snow-an deep-freeze weeks of Winter wore on, my "exhaustion thing" got worse and worse. So, by the time I was finally able to get out and start walking again (AND getting some Vitamin D from the sun, by the way); I wasn't just dealing with being out of shape from not having walked all Winter, or with whatever remnants of issues there were associated with the injuries, or with anything related to how much weight I carried in my bag. I was dealing with what seemed clear to me that "exhaustion thing" that made anything that at all seemed like a large-muscle work-out feel like it was too much to deal with.
Over the three or so weeks since I'd finally gotten to where I felt reasonably normal (provided the circumstances were at all normal and reasonable), the weight and awkwardness of lugging extra weight haven't helped much.
After some trial and error in my efforts to get used to doing the long walks again, I eventually reallized that once I reached a certain point it was actually better not to go out and walk at all. I'd walked enough (since May/June) to assure myself that I'd reached enough of "used to walking again" point that I had to be careful not to do something that threw off whatever progress I'd made.
Most often because of some awkward combination of weight-carrying/movements, it has taken about three days to get past any "little muscle stuff" I've done on the walks (between, say, May and now). Ironically, when conditions have been good (and I've been feeling good), it's been kind of natural to walk faster or decide to walk farther). I wasn't planning on this one, but a couple of weeks ago (and just as I thought I was "all back" with the walk), the store closed. That meant adding x number of yards to the walk. It also meant carrying anything heavy-ish in my bag on the turn trip that much farther. Since there's pretty much no place for a person to sit and cool off and/or rest before doing the return walk; on that one or two days when I wasn't used to longer walk I did the longer walk with only limited opportunity to break it up.
As a result, an extra "thing" of increasing the distance got thrown into the mix. Fine. I worked with it. A few times, though, doing that extra meant getting thrown off with regard to whatever muscles were used to doing whatever walk there was.
I'd already noticed this on my own, but I've since read that any time someone "gets a muscle thing" after increasing exercise, it generally takes three days for it to get back to feeling normal again. Boy, can I vouch for that (not that anyone needs me to vouch for it). Just as fitness people/resources have said (and I've noticed) on the day when I "did the thing" I hardly noticed it too much I'd be enough of a mess for other reasons that any twinges I knew there were because a day's walk were barely noticeable, or at least, the least of my problems.
It's been on the second day when i've essentially felt "crippled". The third day has generally been much more reasonable. A couple of aspirin late into the third day has most often meant speeding up feeling "good as new" (at least with regard to whatever I'd done that "crippled me" yet again, for a day or so).
The trouble, for me, has been the combination of things I was left with after Winter, because not walking would mean not getting used to walking again; while walking made "the exhaustion thing" worse. Then in the mix were those times when I couldn't go out and walk because I was in a "rest the muscles" mode. There have been days when I've done the walk on "the last day" of muscle recuperation. I've either taken aspirin before leaving or else waited until I was out and took a couple of aspirin while out. Depending on the rest of "all the circumstances and issues", sometimes that hasn't been too bad.
There have been (still are) a number of different types of "Catch-22's" involved with the whole "project" of getting all the Winter and "rusty" issues ironed out. So many of those issues have been a matter of having to be dealt with simultaneously and on each walk (and depending on any of the variables mentioned in an earlier post).
Based only on how I feel, I have no doubt that being able to get out and walk (and get some sun and fresh air, as well) as helped, to some degree, the "exhaustion thing". One important factor is just being able to get out to some store and get what I need to get myself to where I feel like I'm "the regular me" enough to have the "mental energy" (and it isn't all just "mental") to function reasonably well within some generally challenging circumstances that are related to any number of things in my "overall life".
What I have noticed has been that just as with trying to improve on any number number of "issues" simultaneously, so, too, has the gradual improvement of those things been simultaneous.
The "exhaustion thing" is something I'll write some separate posts on. As it is at this point, I can see how I could be very close to at least getting that "exhaustion thing" to better than where it was, say, at the beginning of the Winter - mainly because, while I've been dealing with some degree of feeling burned out for quite awhile now, it has (at least to some degree, and in a lot of ways, sometimes depending on the variables) been manageable (or at least mostly manageable) ).
One problem was that just as I'd gotten so close to getting the both leg injuries back to normal and to the point where it was almost as if there had been no injuries (first or otherwise)... That was when Fall Winter kicked in and threw off a lot of progess I'd made. That, by itself, was mentally draining. Christmas was in the mix, so there was that (and Christmas is a nice thing). I won't even get into any number of less-than-nice things there were (and in some cases, had been for a long time).
It was just, I suppose, that I've had some degree of "burn-out" or "exhaustion thing" since before the first leg injury (and therefore completely unrelated to it). So, once Winter and everything that went with it kicked in, it was only a matter of time before not being able to get out (most weeks) at all other than one day on the weekend would really start to get to me. From the time of the first blizzard (and beginning of ridiculous cold), I could feel the exhaustion thing getting worse and worse. Even with that, though, it wasn't really until, say, late February/early March when I really saw things (me) getting out of control.
What I didn't know was whether I'd ever be able to turn the exhaustion thing back into something sort of manageable or not. Of course, at the end of Winter and through the Spring, I was looking at the exhaustion thing from my pre-Winter, "tail-end-of-the-injuries" viewpoint. Now, I've had May and June to be working on making up for the time lost as a result of Winter (and after the second injury had its second anniversary). So, now that I've had that time to make the progress (of one kind or another) that I've made up to now, I have the "mental energy points" of looking at the whole picture from truly a "post-injury" (and also "post-Winter") viewpoint.
I don't have visions of the "exhaustion thing" completely disappearing at this point. I do, however, feel as if I've emerged from the deepest depths of that particular thing to the point where I can see "manageable" (or "mostly manageable") again (and in fact, feel it again under the right set of circumstances).
In any case, I'll post later about what contributed to the exhaustion thing in Winter. It was mainly a matter of not being able to get the right foods/substances I needed (and I'm assuming as a result of "where I was" exhaustion-wise) AND it had nothing to do with not having plenty of decent food in the house.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Foundation B Post - 1
Leg injuries aside, the walking route to the stores isn't one that doesn't require a person to be paying attention, and even to be careful about where one steps. Although there are parts of the route that are pleasant enough for walking, there are enough parts of it that aren't all that pleasant - or at least not pleasant without accompanying "paying attention". There's just that kind of tenseness added in enough parts of the route to make it a "generally not-all-the-pleasant" a walk. Being able to do the walk without also having to buy groceries (and shop by weight and/or length of time out of refrigeration concerns) is (probably needless to say) more pleasant and enjoyable.
One thing that I used to do before I did the leg injury was to go walking super-early in nice weather and do little more than have breakfast out. Sometimes I'd pick up a thing or two while I was near the stores, but my main reason for walking was being out in the morning air and having that chance to just be myself and have a little breakfast and coffee.
I have no doubt that in a lot of ways walking has been good for my health. In other ways, and considering the circumstances, I've often joked that it's killing me. That's not such a joke in all ways.
After the leg injuries the need to pay attention and be careful about where I stepped and how has been a bigger and more important factor.
Before the leg injury the walk TO the store was always far more enjoyable than the walk home with whatever bags I had. I was accustomed to walking as many as over a hundred miles a week (without feeling it). The reality was, however, that carrying more weight often meant holding a hand or arm in some awkward way; or just generally feeling more uncomfortable because of the weight and/or awkwardness of any packages/bags. It was always a balancing act between vowing to shop as little and as light as possible while also not wanting to make an unnecessary trip because I hadn't bought enough on the previous run.
There are/were a couple of small stores not far from the end of "Street B", so more pleasant runs for "a thing or two" to just those closer stores were what I did in-between times. Much of the time (and mostly a matter of weather), the walk to those closer stores was reasonably pleasant. I'd get something to eat or some coffee, and kind of enjoy the walk. There was a time before I began doing any online work when I was receiving a weekly check. That wasn't handy because it sometimes involved an extra trip that I didn't necessarily feel like making, but had to make, if I wanted to get the cash. I've got a whole set of "horror stories" related to that "era", but I won't get into those here.
The entire picture changed once I did the first leg injury and then "added injury to injury" when three years of relying mainly on the "good" leg set it up for its own injury. It wasn't until the Fall that led up to the third anniversary of the first injury when I was able to start working on making the walk again; but it was just about exactly at three years that I did the second injury. It was also Winter. I won't get more into the injuries here, other than to say that it took the "second leg" just about two years to get awfully close to "good as new feeling" The "first leg" was mostly at "good as new feeling" too, although it needed strength built up. Also, however, there were "spin-off elements" that made the "getting back" process more complicated and less straightforward than the less serious injury.
In any case, it was right before the string of last Winter's record-breaking snow storms and cold that I was able to make the walk to "Street A" effortlessly and quickly (and even without the knees getting painful from the cold weather). The Winter didn't just mean slowing my progress in getting the injuries REALLY back to good as new and without having to worry about how much weight I was putting on the "first" one. It also meant my not walking for so long that I just generally got out of shape in terms of being able to walk a few miles without "the usual" (not necessarily related to the injuries at all) muscles feeling it. That meant I had to wait until Spring to first get "the usual" muscles used to walking very far at all (and regardless of what shoes I was wearing) AND building up strength in the "first leg" so that every ounce of weight beyond my own didn't seem to make a difference to the leg.
In April I could go out walking, but I had to wear different shoes than I wear at home. That meant when I was able to go walking I'd "get leg muscles going" by changing shoes. Then, when I'd be at home and wearing other shoes, I'd have to let the legs have three days before feeling better. During those three days I'd get the "first leg" thrown off by "walking funny". The weather in April wasn't all that great, so there weren't all that many days or nights when walking was good anyway. Then there were weekends when I went out with someone in a car even though the weather would have been great for walking.
It was May when I could finally stop wearing the heavier shoes and just wear the sandals that I wear at home. That's when I stopped "throwing off" the leg injury every time I went out walking. So, as of May, where I was was that I needed to put finishing touches on strength-building in both knees/legs; BUT because I was generally out of shape as far as walking long distances went; ;that, combined with the injury-related need to build strength (and as far as I can guess) essentially turned all attempts to walk into a large muscle work-out.
If the walk that has generally always required a certain amount of "paying attention" and thinking and planning was what it was before the injuries, you can probably imagine how much more thought, planning, and paying attention has been required first after the injuries and later, once they were pretty much healed but in need of building strength.
It was in June (yes, JUNE! - last month) when the injuries finally got to where how much weight I was carrying in my bag didn't affect them. I would say that the injuries were good as new, but they still needed finishing touches on that strength-building thing. That wasn't however, about how much weight I was carrying in my bag. It wasn't about "basic walking" either. It was (and still is) about "the finer point" of stepping down from a curb or step while holding the knee "straight ahead" (rather than turning kind of sideways on stairs). Another area of strength building I still need to do is with climbing up, for example, extremely steep steps. As it is I'm fine with regular sets of stairs now.
Frustratingly enough after the Winter, what I've been left with as of June has been that the leg injuries are pretty much all squared away as far as routine walking goes (and with the limited exceptions I mentioned above).
I'm going to write a separate post about what amounts to a whole new set of "issues" related to being able to make the walk (whether a mile-and-a-half round-trip, three miles round trip, or something in-between) effortlessly that have become evident and/or emerged and/or developed once I got to where the injuries felt "good as new", got used to the walk (provided I haven't been carrying too much weight and a result using an awkward set of muscles to do that).
One thing that I used to do before I did the leg injury was to go walking super-early in nice weather and do little more than have breakfast out. Sometimes I'd pick up a thing or two while I was near the stores, but my main reason for walking was being out in the morning air and having that chance to just be myself and have a little breakfast and coffee.
I have no doubt that in a lot of ways walking has been good for my health. In other ways, and considering the circumstances, I've often joked that it's killing me. That's not such a joke in all ways.
After the leg injuries the need to pay attention and be careful about where I stepped and how has been a bigger and more important factor.
Before the leg injury the walk TO the store was always far more enjoyable than the walk home with whatever bags I had. I was accustomed to walking as many as over a hundred miles a week (without feeling it). The reality was, however, that carrying more weight often meant holding a hand or arm in some awkward way; or just generally feeling more uncomfortable because of the weight and/or awkwardness of any packages/bags. It was always a balancing act between vowing to shop as little and as light as possible while also not wanting to make an unnecessary trip because I hadn't bought enough on the previous run.
There are/were a couple of small stores not far from the end of "Street B", so more pleasant runs for "a thing or two" to just those closer stores were what I did in-between times. Much of the time (and mostly a matter of weather), the walk to those closer stores was reasonably pleasant. I'd get something to eat or some coffee, and kind of enjoy the walk. There was a time before I began doing any online work when I was receiving a weekly check. That wasn't handy because it sometimes involved an extra trip that I didn't necessarily feel like making, but had to make, if I wanted to get the cash. I've got a whole set of "horror stories" related to that "era", but I won't get into those here.
The entire picture changed once I did the first leg injury and then "added injury to injury" when three years of relying mainly on the "good" leg set it up for its own injury. It wasn't until the Fall that led up to the third anniversary of the first injury when I was able to start working on making the walk again; but it was just about exactly at three years that I did the second injury. It was also Winter. I won't get more into the injuries here, other than to say that it took the "second leg" just about two years to get awfully close to "good as new feeling" The "first leg" was mostly at "good as new feeling" too, although it needed strength built up. Also, however, there were "spin-off elements" that made the "getting back" process more complicated and less straightforward than the less serious injury.
In any case, it was right before the string of last Winter's record-breaking snow storms and cold that I was able to make the walk to "Street A" effortlessly and quickly (and even without the knees getting painful from the cold weather). The Winter didn't just mean slowing my progress in getting the injuries REALLY back to good as new and without having to worry about how much weight I was putting on the "first" one. It also meant my not walking for so long that I just generally got out of shape in terms of being able to walk a few miles without "the usual" (not necessarily related to the injuries at all) muscles feeling it. That meant I had to wait until Spring to first get "the usual" muscles used to walking very far at all (and regardless of what shoes I was wearing) AND building up strength in the "first leg" so that every ounce of weight beyond my own didn't seem to make a difference to the leg.
In April I could go out walking, but I had to wear different shoes than I wear at home. That meant when I was able to go walking I'd "get leg muscles going" by changing shoes. Then, when I'd be at home and wearing other shoes, I'd have to let the legs have three days before feeling better. During those three days I'd get the "first leg" thrown off by "walking funny". The weather in April wasn't all that great, so there weren't all that many days or nights when walking was good anyway. Then there were weekends when I went out with someone in a car even though the weather would have been great for walking.
It was May when I could finally stop wearing the heavier shoes and just wear the sandals that I wear at home. That's when I stopped "throwing off" the leg injury every time I went out walking. So, as of May, where I was was that I needed to put finishing touches on strength-building in both knees/legs; BUT because I was generally out of shape as far as walking long distances went; ;that, combined with the injury-related need to build strength (and as far as I can guess) essentially turned all attempts to walk into a large muscle work-out.
If the walk that has generally always required a certain amount of "paying attention" and thinking and planning was what it was before the injuries, you can probably imagine how much more thought, planning, and paying attention has been required first after the injuries and later, once they were pretty much healed but in need of building strength.
It was in June (yes, JUNE! - last month) when the injuries finally got to where how much weight I was carrying in my bag didn't affect them. I would say that the injuries were good as new, but they still needed finishing touches on that strength-building thing. That wasn't however, about how much weight I was carrying in my bag. It wasn't about "basic walking" either. It was (and still is) about "the finer point" of stepping down from a curb or step while holding the knee "straight ahead" (rather than turning kind of sideways on stairs). Another area of strength building I still need to do is with climbing up, for example, extremely steep steps. As it is I'm fine with regular sets of stairs now.
Frustratingly enough after the Winter, what I've been left with as of June has been that the leg injuries are pretty much all squared away as far as routine walking goes (and with the limited exceptions I mentioned above).
I'm going to write a separate post about what amounts to a whole new set of "issues" related to being able to make the walk (whether a mile-and-a-half round-trip, three miles round trip, or something in-between) effortlessly that have become evident and/or emerged and/or developed once I got to where the injuries felt "good as new", got used to the walk (provided I haven't been carrying too much weight and a result using an awkward set of muscles to do that).
The Automatic "Share Post" Thing..
With a number of a different blogs set up, and in varying stages of development, I don't always keep up with which ones have settings that get the automatic "share thing" showing up immediately after posting. This one happens to have the setting that has that happen. Mainly because I'm busy and/or lazy - or both, I haven't felt like adjusting that setting. So, after each of these foundation posts I've gotten the the share thing. Um, I don't think so. :/ I seriously don't think too many people on Google+ would particularly appreciate seeing all this crap showing up as regularly as I'm been writing it over the last day or so - with more coming. (lol)
Maybe tomorrow I'll, once and for all, get rid of that automatic "share thing".
Maybe tomorrow I'll, once and for all, get rid of that automatic "share thing".
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
One More "Lowest-Level Foundation Post" Before Getting To "The Next Level Up"
What About The Bus Service?
Where I live is a town, surrounded on three sides by similar towns (although with more business/corporations/industry; shopping (and whatever else) than where I live. The town, itself, is not geographically small. It's twenty-six square miles (as compared to say, the small Boston-area city in which I grew up - which was/is three square miles - but which packed into it whatever cities had in those days, including two big public libraries). I don't know what's there these days. Where I live these days didn't even have a "normal" public library until some time in the last twenty years (or thereabouts). It's a "family town", though; so it boasts ten baseball fields and lots of things for elderly people.
The thing is, it's been a long time since I had little boys playing Little League; and I wasn't anywhere near even the borderline age for "senior" when my divorce "buggered up" my driver's license.
Before I did the first leg injury (the more complicated, more serious, one) I used to sometimes take the bus if I wanted to "do something special" and get to the limited but additional shopping areas. Once I did that first leg injury the idea of using the bus changed.
The town is also bordered by a city. There's where the bus/train station is, and it's where one would have to get to in order to get to either of the other neighboring towns (or anywhere else other than the town in which I live).
That's fine for the person who just has business in that city, and it's fine for the person who wants to get somewhere near the border between that city and my town. Other than that, trying to get anywhere else almost isn't even realistic, unless someone has, say, the whole day to kill and doesn't have to be anywhere at a certain time. First, whether one wants to hook up with a bus that's going somewhere other than back into my town, there's the usual waiting for whatever "correct bus" there is to wait for. The train station would get someone somewhere other than that city or my town, but if I need to get to, say, Boston (which is rare these days) my options are to have someone drop me off or else drive and go with me to whatever event it is we're going to.
In any case, the train from the station is in the city is out. One thing that eliminates it as an option is that if I don't have someone to drive or drop me off (for, say, a weekend event), there's no bus that would get me to and from the station to my own town.
There was a time when I found some temporary work in the next town over. It was only because my son would drop me off before going to work, himself; and then I'd take the afternoon bus from the place of work into the city, where I'd wait for the bus that would eventually get me back into my town.
Sometimes one bus would be later than usual, and I'd come awfully close to missing either the last bus from there into my own town, or the next-to-last. Sometimes there would be a long wait between the hourly buses. Either way, the last bus into my town is around five p.m. It was Winter when I did that. At the time, I'd leave that next-town-over workplace, ride around some office parks at the edge of my own town, and be on a bus that was in rush-hour traffic and going through the city in order to get to the station. It was, shall I say, "a hoot" - particularly since it wasn't exactly my "dream kind of work" that I was doing.
In order for my son to have time to drive me to work and get to his own job in time, we'd both have to be up super early in the morning (5:00 or so for him; 4:00 for me because at that time I was already dealing with "some kind of mental exhaustion thing" that meant I needed to be very organized and have plenty of getting-ready time, breakfast time, etc., rather than set off for a day's work as a frazzled mess). Besides, without a car there with me, and with "the commute", I needed to make sure I had some things with me, or wore some clothes, that I wouldn't have otherwise needed.
It didn't help that I was probably run down when some of us in the family got some kind of "flu thing", and I was left without a voice for afterward, but also took until Aprl to actually get most of my own voice back. It also didn't help that I threw out my back picking up something the wrong way (and not related at all to the work there). Well, there were a lot of things in personal life that "didn't help". Basically, I was kind of sick the whole time I worked there. The big worry was mainly a) not missing the bus that got to me to the station (which wasn't a big challenge), and b) (and more importantly) not missing that last five p.m. bus that would get me out of the city and into my own town.
My son worked in another direction entirely, but we had a plan that I'd take the bus to the Burger King in my town - where, if my son were to be late for some reason, particularly traffic, I could go in and comfortable have some coffee and maybe something to eat (or not, depending). The big thing was that I get that last bus out of the station and get myself more comfortably close to my own house (which, as it was, was three miles away).
If we, or I, needed to get something from the grocery store, we'd sometimes stop there before coming home. There were times when I'd leave where I was working at 2:30, wait until that bus to the station came, do whatever riding around there was to do, wait at the station for x amount of time; ride the last bus to BK (and take, maybe, twenty-minutes or so, riding the bus in rush hour all the way down into my town - and eventually actually get home around 6:30 or even 7:00)..
In any case, that was the first and only time I ever tried working outside of the town on a non-telecommute basis.
Back to the bus: The bus runs, as far as I know, every hour from around 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It runs up and down "Street A" (the main drag); but because it stops at a hospital and some elderly housing, there's a whole section of Street A that no bus ever travels on. Instead, it takes a turn off the main drag and gets/drops off hospital people and elderly-housing people, and comes out on the main drag not far from that Burger King I mentioned. The outbound bus goes right to town line and then turns around. While shopping in that next town over is better and nicer than where I shop, and while a car ride to at least that additional shopping is a few minutes; a walk that far past the town line isn't all that handy.
In any event, in order for me to use either of the nearest bus stops I have to walk quite a way in some direction other than the one I really want to go in (but then factor in when the bus is coming or going or not picking anyone up because it's the last run).
Before the leg injury the bus at least had a twice-a-day (around lunch time) "indirect route" that meant, if I played my complicated cards right, I could get the bus, or be dropped off, at the corner of 'Streets B and C" (fairly close to my street, but most often not close enough for my purposes). It was a whole, complicated, deal; but sometimes I'd work it out in Summer or Winter. Apparently, that indirect route was stopped somewhere after I did the first leg injury. So now, i have to walk the mile/mile-and-half or so, plus or minus, from my house to the main drag. From there, I'd have to turn the walk from home-to-bus-stop from whatever distance the walk is to the main drag to, maybe, a mile-and-a-half/two-thirds or so (again, plus-or-minus - maybe even two miles?) to one of the two closest stops.
Leg injuries or no leg injuries, It just doesn't make sense for me to add distance to the walk to the main drag in order to get a bus that will eventually get me to where I could have gotten myself to by adding just a little more distance and getting myself to that shopping, which is just about three miles away.
It really doesn't make sense in view of the fact that I most often go out one weekend day with my sister, which is when I can pick up a heavier load of groceries. When the weather is good she and I sometimes go out for coffee one evening during the week. Last Winter pretty much eliminated that practice.
One problem for me, however, is that I can stock up on a number of groceries of one kind (frozen food, canned goods, etc.). Produce and breads aren't things a person can stock up on, and one person eating/shopping for only herself, can try to buy some extra (up to a point); but breads that aren't frozen turn green (and I only want to freeze x amount of bread anyway), lettuce goes brown, and tomatoes get soft.
Another problem is that I'm not always paid on a strict schedule. Depending on who it is that's paying me, I have things like straggling-in paychecks, pays from one or another kind of writing, and pays in irregular amounts. So, if I get to the store in a car on a weekend, but I'm not going to get a pay until Monday; that means I can't do the kind of shopping I need to do when I'm in a car. Instead, I may have to plan to get out on, say, that Monday or Tuesday. Up to a point, I've been able to work with this "rough-draft system" of shopping. When weather and/or leg injuries and or whatever other factors there are are added to the mix it can throw off any real system.
As far as I know, besides any bus that gets elderly people to shopping; there's some "little bus" that's available for some people who need, say, a ride to the doctor's (or something). I've never looked into it, because even if the fact that I'm now somewhere around the "border of senior" (or just over it; I still don't really know); I don't think that bus is meant for getting people grocery shopping.
There's no taxi service in my town. There have, over the years, been times when someone started a taxi service. None of them lasted. Several years ago there was one taxi service. I planned to get myself to the store to do Easter-dinner shopping for my whole family - only to be told it had gone out of business. I had a cart full of Easter food, treats, and whatever else and knew that dragging it the three miles home meant no refrigeration soon enough. My ex-husband was around to call, but he was working. That meant I had to leave the cart full of stuff with the grocery store (to go into their cold area) until my ex-husband could pick it up.
There are taxi services in the surrounding towns/city. If I really needed to get somewhere I could call one. The last I heard they charge for coming into the town. I don't know if they charge more for people who live farther into the town than, say, along the main drag or near one or another town line. It doesn't matter for my purposes. If, for example, I can't, for one reason or another, get my "extras" when I'm with my sister on the weekend, it's hardly worth the price of a taxi to get those extras (or even some not-so-extras) over the work week. I can either do without, pay top dollar at a convenience store, or walk to the grocery store.
In view of the fact that I work from home (less now than I had been, though), but also that I need to get some exercise, sun, fresh air, and natural light (more now after a Winter of not being able to be out walking at all); I can't see calling a taxi from another town.
And this - I think - concludes my series of "rock-bottom/foundation posts". They're the "lowest layer/level" of a foundation on which some "higher-level foundation" (and "foundation posts") have been/will be built. It isn't just a matter of my wanting to post that "foundation" on here for the sake of posting it all in one place somewhere. And, it isn't just a matter of wanting to post layer upon layer of "foundation" for the purpose of focusing on any of the issues associated with that "foundation" in future posts on here.
As I said somewhere in one of the first "foundation" posts, there are a number of things I plan to write about, or at least a number of points may want to make in places other than this, particular, blog. In fact, I have any number of reasons for wanting to get these "foundation posts" in writing
From here on (at least within the context of this particular blog and series of posts) I'm going to refer to "the next level of the foundation" as "Foundation B Posts" (and I'm going to stop using the quotation marks around "foundation"). If anyone has read anything at all up to this point I imagine he knows what I mean when I refer to "foundation" in this series of posts. I guess I started using the quotation marks as my own way of defining, organizing, a big picture/situation that is complex enough to have one limited set of constants that include a wide ride of variables before ever getting to some of the "non-constant variables". (I'm getting there....)
Where I live is a town, surrounded on three sides by similar towns (although with more business/corporations/industry; shopping (and whatever else) than where I live. The town, itself, is not geographically small. It's twenty-six square miles (as compared to say, the small Boston-area city in which I grew up - which was/is three square miles - but which packed into it whatever cities had in those days, including two big public libraries). I don't know what's there these days. Where I live these days didn't even have a "normal" public library until some time in the last twenty years (or thereabouts). It's a "family town", though; so it boasts ten baseball fields and lots of things for elderly people.
The thing is, it's been a long time since I had little boys playing Little League; and I wasn't anywhere near even the borderline age for "senior" when my divorce "buggered up" my driver's license.
Before I did the first leg injury (the more complicated, more serious, one) I used to sometimes take the bus if I wanted to "do something special" and get to the limited but additional shopping areas. Once I did that first leg injury the idea of using the bus changed.
The town is also bordered by a city. There's where the bus/train station is, and it's where one would have to get to in order to get to either of the other neighboring towns (or anywhere else other than the town in which I live).
That's fine for the person who just has business in that city, and it's fine for the person who wants to get somewhere near the border between that city and my town. Other than that, trying to get anywhere else almost isn't even realistic, unless someone has, say, the whole day to kill and doesn't have to be anywhere at a certain time. First, whether one wants to hook up with a bus that's going somewhere other than back into my town, there's the usual waiting for whatever "correct bus" there is to wait for. The train station would get someone somewhere other than that city or my town, but if I need to get to, say, Boston (which is rare these days) my options are to have someone drop me off or else drive and go with me to whatever event it is we're going to.
In any case, the train from the station is in the city is out. One thing that eliminates it as an option is that if I don't have someone to drive or drop me off (for, say, a weekend event), there's no bus that would get me to and from the station to my own town.
There was a time when I found some temporary work in the next town over. It was only because my son would drop me off before going to work, himself; and then I'd take the afternoon bus from the place of work into the city, where I'd wait for the bus that would eventually get me back into my town.
Sometimes one bus would be later than usual, and I'd come awfully close to missing either the last bus from there into my own town, or the next-to-last. Sometimes there would be a long wait between the hourly buses. Either way, the last bus into my town is around five p.m. It was Winter when I did that. At the time, I'd leave that next-town-over workplace, ride around some office parks at the edge of my own town, and be on a bus that was in rush-hour traffic and going through the city in order to get to the station. It was, shall I say, "a hoot" - particularly since it wasn't exactly my "dream kind of work" that I was doing.
In order for my son to have time to drive me to work and get to his own job in time, we'd both have to be up super early in the morning (5:00 or so for him; 4:00 for me because at that time I was already dealing with "some kind of mental exhaustion thing" that meant I needed to be very organized and have plenty of getting-ready time, breakfast time, etc., rather than set off for a day's work as a frazzled mess). Besides, without a car there with me, and with "the commute", I needed to make sure I had some things with me, or wore some clothes, that I wouldn't have otherwise needed.
It didn't help that I was probably run down when some of us in the family got some kind of "flu thing", and I was left without a voice for afterward, but also took until Aprl to actually get most of my own voice back. It also didn't help that I threw out my back picking up something the wrong way (and not related at all to the work there). Well, there were a lot of things in personal life that "didn't help". Basically, I was kind of sick the whole time I worked there. The big worry was mainly a) not missing the bus that got to me to the station (which wasn't a big challenge), and b) (and more importantly) not missing that last five p.m. bus that would get me out of the city and into my own town.
My son worked in another direction entirely, but we had a plan that I'd take the bus to the Burger King in my town - where, if my son were to be late for some reason, particularly traffic, I could go in and comfortable have some coffee and maybe something to eat (or not, depending). The big thing was that I get that last bus out of the station and get myself more comfortably close to my own house (which, as it was, was three miles away).
If we, or I, needed to get something from the grocery store, we'd sometimes stop there before coming home. There were times when I'd leave where I was working at 2:30, wait until that bus to the station came, do whatever riding around there was to do, wait at the station for x amount of time; ride the last bus to BK (and take, maybe, twenty-minutes or so, riding the bus in rush hour all the way down into my town - and eventually actually get home around 6:30 or even 7:00)..
In any case, that was the first and only time I ever tried working outside of the town on a non-telecommute basis.
Back to the bus: The bus runs, as far as I know, every hour from around 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It runs up and down "Street A" (the main drag); but because it stops at a hospital and some elderly housing, there's a whole section of Street A that no bus ever travels on. Instead, it takes a turn off the main drag and gets/drops off hospital people and elderly-housing people, and comes out on the main drag not far from that Burger King I mentioned. The outbound bus goes right to town line and then turns around. While shopping in that next town over is better and nicer than where I shop, and while a car ride to at least that additional shopping is a few minutes; a walk that far past the town line isn't all that handy.
In any event, in order for me to use either of the nearest bus stops I have to walk quite a way in some direction other than the one I really want to go in (but then factor in when the bus is coming or going or not picking anyone up because it's the last run).
Before the leg injury the bus at least had a twice-a-day (around lunch time) "indirect route" that meant, if I played my complicated cards right, I could get the bus, or be dropped off, at the corner of 'Streets B and C" (fairly close to my street, but most often not close enough for my purposes). It was a whole, complicated, deal; but sometimes I'd work it out in Summer or Winter. Apparently, that indirect route was stopped somewhere after I did the first leg injury. So now, i have to walk the mile/mile-and-half or so, plus or minus, from my house to the main drag. From there, I'd have to turn the walk from home-to-bus-stop from whatever distance the walk is to the main drag to, maybe, a mile-and-a-half/two-thirds or so (again, plus-or-minus - maybe even two miles?) to one of the two closest stops.
Leg injuries or no leg injuries, It just doesn't make sense for me to add distance to the walk to the main drag in order to get a bus that will eventually get me to where I could have gotten myself to by adding just a little more distance and getting myself to that shopping, which is just about three miles away.
It really doesn't make sense in view of the fact that I most often go out one weekend day with my sister, which is when I can pick up a heavier load of groceries. When the weather is good she and I sometimes go out for coffee one evening during the week. Last Winter pretty much eliminated that practice.
One problem for me, however, is that I can stock up on a number of groceries of one kind (frozen food, canned goods, etc.). Produce and breads aren't things a person can stock up on, and one person eating/shopping for only herself, can try to buy some extra (up to a point); but breads that aren't frozen turn green (and I only want to freeze x amount of bread anyway), lettuce goes brown, and tomatoes get soft.
Another problem is that I'm not always paid on a strict schedule. Depending on who it is that's paying me, I have things like straggling-in paychecks, pays from one or another kind of writing, and pays in irregular amounts. So, if I get to the store in a car on a weekend, but I'm not going to get a pay until Monday; that means I can't do the kind of shopping I need to do when I'm in a car. Instead, I may have to plan to get out on, say, that Monday or Tuesday. Up to a point, I've been able to work with this "rough-draft system" of shopping. When weather and/or leg injuries and or whatever other factors there are are added to the mix it can throw off any real system.
As far as I know, besides any bus that gets elderly people to shopping; there's some "little bus" that's available for some people who need, say, a ride to the doctor's (or something). I've never looked into it, because even if the fact that I'm now somewhere around the "border of senior" (or just over it; I still don't really know); I don't think that bus is meant for getting people grocery shopping.
There's no taxi service in my town. There have, over the years, been times when someone started a taxi service. None of them lasted. Several years ago there was one taxi service. I planned to get myself to the store to do Easter-dinner shopping for my whole family - only to be told it had gone out of business. I had a cart full of Easter food, treats, and whatever else and knew that dragging it the three miles home meant no refrigeration soon enough. My ex-husband was around to call, but he was working. That meant I had to leave the cart full of stuff with the grocery store (to go into their cold area) until my ex-husband could pick it up.
There are taxi services in the surrounding towns/city. If I really needed to get somewhere I could call one. The last I heard they charge for coming into the town. I don't know if they charge more for people who live farther into the town than, say, along the main drag or near one or another town line. It doesn't matter for my purposes. If, for example, I can't, for one reason or another, get my "extras" when I'm with my sister on the weekend, it's hardly worth the price of a taxi to get those extras (or even some not-so-extras) over the work week. I can either do without, pay top dollar at a convenience store, or walk to the grocery store.
In view of the fact that I work from home (less now than I had been, though), but also that I need to get some exercise, sun, fresh air, and natural light (more now after a Winter of not being able to be out walking at all); I can't see calling a taxi from another town.
And this - I think - concludes my series of "rock-bottom/foundation posts". They're the "lowest layer/level" of a foundation on which some "higher-level foundation" (and "foundation posts") have been/will be built. It isn't just a matter of my wanting to post that "foundation" on here for the sake of posting it all in one place somewhere. And, it isn't just a matter of wanting to post layer upon layer of "foundation" for the purpose of focusing on any of the issues associated with that "foundation" in future posts on here.
As I said somewhere in one of the first "foundation" posts, there are a number of things I plan to write about, or at least a number of points may want to make in places other than this, particular, blog. In fact, I have any number of reasons for wanting to get these "foundation posts" in writing
From here on (at least within the context of this particular blog and series of posts) I'm going to refer to "the next level of the foundation" as "Foundation B Posts" (and I'm going to stop using the quotation marks around "foundation"). If anyone has read anything at all up to this point I imagine he knows what I mean when I refer to "foundation" in this series of posts. I guess I started using the quotation marks as my own way of defining, organizing, a big picture/situation that is complex enough to have one limited set of constants that include a wide ride of variables before ever getting to some of the "non-constant variables". (I'm getting there....)
A Few Remarks About Moving/Not-Moving (As In "Why Not Go To Where Driving/Having A Car Doesn't Matter As Much?"
There are a number of varied, multi-faceted, complicated, and/or complicating factors that have resulted in my not having moved over the last several years. I'm not going to get into all, of even any, of them. What I will do is include here, some isolated words/phrases that may help give someone some rough idea of how complicated things can be (particularly in my personal situation). The only reason I'm even do that much is to, maybe, highlight the point (maybe fact) that anyone else in my exact situation would be very unlikely to "just move" too.
Here's the words/phrases:
Family in General
Children (Children, Teens and/or Grown)
Legal Issues Of One Kind Or Another
Temporary
Permanence
Stability
Assets
Shared Asssets
Babies and Bath-Water
"Know When To Hold 'Em"
Decisions and Inadequate Information to Make Them"
Sensible Security
Frying Pans and Fires of One Kind or Another
Thinking From The Standpoint Of A Mother
Stability Is Sometimes About "Financial" - Sometimes About Non-Money-Related Issues
Lower Crime Rate Than Some Options
More Freedom Than Some Options
I guess those should kind of do it. I'll just say that my not moving is neither up for debate nor a matter of my having better or other options.
Here's the words/phrases:
Family in General
Children (Children, Teens and/or Grown)
Legal Issues Of One Kind Or Another
Temporary
Permanence
Stability
Assets
Shared Asssets
Babies and Bath-Water
"Know When To Hold 'Em"
Decisions and Inadequate Information to Make Them"
Sensible Security
Frying Pans and Fires of One Kind or Another
Thinking From The Standpoint Of A Mother
Stability Is Sometimes About "Financial" - Sometimes About Non-Money-Related Issues
Lower Crime Rate Than Some Options
More Freedom Than Some Options
I guess those should kind of do it. I'll just say that my not moving is neither up for debate nor a matter of my having better or other options.
Curbs, No-Curbs, Low, Curbs, High Curbs - Getting From The Sidewsalk Into The Sreet
Just as (as with my blog describe) "one never knows what one may find" on this blog, neither doesn't one know what one may find when walking where I live (or anywhere similar, I'm imagining).
I've already described things like snow, ice and puddles in one of the "foundation" posts. I think I've mentioned things like lumpy strips of "grass and/or dirt" along, or instead, of sidewalks. I'm fairly certain I mentioned that what's in the "gutter section" of the street (if one would even call the edge of the street where there really isn't a "standard curb" along the whole thing, "gutter") - which may be include tiny stones, bits of gravel, bits of "miscellaneous natural debris", with or without any puddle and/or snow/ice factor.
The point is that while standing at the edge of the sidewalk and/or side of the road and waiting for the right time to cross isn't a big deal for anyone without something like "knee issues", getting from the sidewalk (or wherever/whatever sort of serves as one) into the street (in order to cross) can be a bigger deal.
It's better in some places than others. Here's where no, big, "standard" (city-like) curbs can be an advantage in some ways. If the strip of "grass/dirt" doesn't involve (essentially) climbing down what feels, to the "knee-issue person" like a big incline, it can be great that isn't a big curb to deal with (although big curbs often do come with "little ramps" for people who need them and can use them). With some types of knee issues (or a combination of them), sometimes walking down even a slight incline can be worse than, say, stepping off even a steep curb or step "sideways" (and in a way that doesn't aggravate the front of the knee - that is if the knee if even capable of bearing "stepping-down" weight on it at all).
Depending on what, and how bad, the knee-issue is (and whether it's in one or both knees); getting from where one is walking (sidewalk or some version of one) down into "the gutter" can take some paying attention - whether that's sizing up the latest "conditions" at any one place, or just having "a system" for dealing with one or another crossing location.
My own knee/knees issue has nothing to do with arthritis or having any other kind of joint/mobility issue before seriously injuring one leg in/around the knee area; taking three years to work on getting it back to "good as new", almost getting there, and then injuring the previously injured other knee, and having to "work on" both of them between two years ago and this recent, past, Fall/Winter; in order to get them both to where they mostly seemed "good as new" (except, essentially, for being out-of-shape when it came to walking long distances and/or supporting weight that was "x amount" over and above my own weight. This has meant that, depending on "where I was" with regard to either of the knees/legs having any issues with walking surface, curbs, etc.; I've been dealing with a "foot-by-foot" (or "yard- by-yard") ever-changing surface/circumstance with regard to where I needed to walk (or cross), complicated by an ever-changing set of "circumstances" with each knee area, itself. In other words, it has required a couple/few different kinds of "paying attention", "planning" (sometimes, "step-by-step" planning, sometimes "bigger" planning), and different needs for, and degrees of, concentrating on just getting from one place to the other.
On the roads/times when there is less traffic, crossing the street has just been a matter of taking my time about doing so, and keeping in mind (at times) that I needed to be good and sure there would be no pressure to feel like I had to hurry out the way of any cars.
Before the leg injuries, but also now that they're both (knock-on-wood) pretty much back to "good-as-new", there was no issue with getting from any sidewalk/walking area into "the gutter" in order to cross. After, however, there was (again, depending on where and when it was).
In one of the "foundation" posts I mentioned Street D (my own, a quiet one that I don't even count), Street C (a more rural and more challenging one for a combination of reasons, but one that doesn't have curbs at all), and Street B (a bigger, busier, "more main", one than the actual "main drag" (Street A). Street B has what I think of a "God-knows-what when it comes to where sidewalk, or walking area, meet the road". It does have some curbs of varying heights. Street B is at the end of another, fairly busy sometimes, street that empties out onto Street B. Other than that, the particular stretch of Street B that I walk on has no busy intersections or sets of lights.
Before the first leg injury; and whether or not I was on Street B or Street, I pretty much didn't want any cars to stop to let me cross; mainly because the traffic such that it's either light (and fairly fast-moving), somewhat heavier (particularly on Street A) but still fairly fast-moving, stop-and-go in some areas (n which case, crossing can both be easier and/or require more concentration, depending...), or so light that cars may tend more to go faster than usual.
For any or all of those reasons, I pretty much have never wanted cars stopping to let me cross the street because I can either wait it out (I don't mind), find a better place to cross, and be better able to concentrate more on doing whatever it is that will keep me safer but also not involve stopping a whole line of cars just to let me cross. It's not the city. It's different.
Before the leg injuries I'd just kind of step back from the street, try to make kind of a "big and obvious deal" that I had no wish/plans to cross the street, watch what was going on with the cars/traffic, and quickly get myself from the sidewalk/walking area into the street as I crossed quickly.
(By the way, I take back what i said in the previous post about this one being "relatively brief".)
Anyway....
Both before and after the leg injuries, I haven't wanted or needed any cars to stop and let me cross; and I just described my way of trying to prevent that from happening. of course, people have been conditioned to think in terms of "pedestrians have the right of way". So, some people - city or suburbs - try to do what they think is the right thing. That's been why I have to step back from the "curb"/"gutter" and try to make it obvious that I'm "not crossing". Even with that, however, there have occasionally been drivers who stop, beep their horns (as if I've been waiting so long that I've become bored, started day-dreaming, and forgotten to watch for any "kind souls" who have stopped to let me cross). I know they mean well (oh, the old, "meaning well" thing) , but it really drives me nuts when someone does that because I'm not now, and never have been, the kind of person who doesn't stay complete on top of what I'm doing at any given time - particularly when it comes to crossing the street.
Those few well-meaning but incorrectly mind-reading followers of "general rules of the road" aside), most of the time the thing about not making a big deal about crossing has worked well for me. All I've had to do is stay away from the edge of the road, make it clear that I'm not looking both ways and at the cars (or across the street), and that's been it. It hasn't been so easy since the leg/knee injuries, however, because it hasn't been so easy to get from sidewalk/walking area down into the "gutter" without some care and planning. This means that there has pretty much been no staying on the walking area and making that big deal about not crossing; keeping an eye on the traffic situation, and then just hopping/zipping down into the lower-level street/"gutter" and crossing.
With that extra and care, thinking, and planning having become issues (at least for awhile), what it has meant has been introducing the factor of staying in the walking area/sidewalk long enough until there were truly no cars anywhere to be seen/expected and then taking a little extra time to get into the gutter/street before REALLY paying attention to any cars that may have shown up in the meantime. What it has also meant, however, has been that once I've been "in the gutter" it's generally pretty hard to pretend that I'm not even thinking about crossing the street. Also, one one is actually in the street (and particularly n some areas of the route), one is at higher risk of being hit by a car.
On Street A, even where there is "standard curb" (even a "real-life, standard, designated, crossing place) there is sometimes a thin layer of sand in areas. There may or may not varying amounts of other stuff (bits of gravel, small stones, etc.); but even with all the "polish" and "wonderful-ness" of what is very much like a "real" city-type sidewalk and crossing area; making that move from sidewalk down into the street is more complicated for the person with "knee issues" (particularly when those issues may be related to stability for one reason or another).
That "big and official" curb associated with that "real" sidewalk and crossing area means having that more clearly delineated "line" between sidewalk and actual street; and as I said earlier, sometimes getting down from a curb works better for the knee-/knees-issues person than walking down even a slight incline ever would/could.
Things will be different for me now that a) I've gotten to where the injuries feel "good as new" but also as I've gotten past a Winter when walking just wasn't possible at all and during which I just became un-used to doing a walk that long (and of that type) at all; but since the first leg injury at the beginning of 2010, I've most often had to avoid using that designated crossing area completely.
What makes it worse is that there's one side that involves a little hill but not as much traffic. There's another side that involves the most traffic, at the bottom of a hill, and sometimes "coming from all directions" and at varying speeds. What I've always done is walk to where the cars are only going in the usual two directions, where there's a driveway/parking lot that doesn't involve anything but a "smooth transition" into the street, and where I can do my "pretend-I'm-not-crossing" thing when necessary. Also, the street is narrowed away from the intersection and lights, which, of course, means spending less time in the street at all. There's also "the hope" of so little traffic that traffic is not an issue AND the hope that the stop-and-go traffic at the lights can (if one is careful to watch) mean being able to cross more easily. How safe this approach is depends on the kind of traffic there is. In general, that hill I mentioned elsewhere, combined with being able to see quite far down Street A in the other direction, make this "approach" not as hazardous as it might otherwise seem.
I've already described things like snow, ice and puddles in one of the "foundation" posts. I think I've mentioned things like lumpy strips of "grass and/or dirt" along, or instead, of sidewalks. I'm fairly certain I mentioned that what's in the "gutter section" of the street (if one would even call the edge of the street where there really isn't a "standard curb" along the whole thing, "gutter") - which may be include tiny stones, bits of gravel, bits of "miscellaneous natural debris", with or without any puddle and/or snow/ice factor.
The point is that while standing at the edge of the sidewalk and/or side of the road and waiting for the right time to cross isn't a big deal for anyone without something like "knee issues", getting from the sidewalk (or wherever/whatever sort of serves as one) into the street (in order to cross) can be a bigger deal.
It's better in some places than others. Here's where no, big, "standard" (city-like) curbs can be an advantage in some ways. If the strip of "grass/dirt" doesn't involve (essentially) climbing down what feels, to the "knee-issue person" like a big incline, it can be great that isn't a big curb to deal with (although big curbs often do come with "little ramps" for people who need them and can use them). With some types of knee issues (or a combination of them), sometimes walking down even a slight incline can be worse than, say, stepping off even a steep curb or step "sideways" (and in a way that doesn't aggravate the front of the knee - that is if the knee if even capable of bearing "stepping-down" weight on it at all).
Depending on what, and how bad, the knee-issue is (and whether it's in one or both knees); getting from where one is walking (sidewalk or some version of one) down into "the gutter" can take some paying attention - whether that's sizing up the latest "conditions" at any one place, or just having "a system" for dealing with one or another crossing location.
My own knee/knees issue has nothing to do with arthritis or having any other kind of joint/mobility issue before seriously injuring one leg in/around the knee area; taking three years to work on getting it back to "good as new", almost getting there, and then injuring the previously injured other knee, and having to "work on" both of them between two years ago and this recent, past, Fall/Winter; in order to get them both to where they mostly seemed "good as new" (except, essentially, for being out-of-shape when it came to walking long distances and/or supporting weight that was "x amount" over and above my own weight. This has meant that, depending on "where I was" with regard to either of the knees/legs having any issues with walking surface, curbs, etc.; I've been dealing with a "foot-by-foot" (or "yard- by-yard") ever-changing surface/circumstance with regard to where I needed to walk (or cross), complicated by an ever-changing set of "circumstances" with each knee area, itself. In other words, it has required a couple/few different kinds of "paying attention", "planning" (sometimes, "step-by-step" planning, sometimes "bigger" planning), and different needs for, and degrees of, concentrating on just getting from one place to the other.
On the roads/times when there is less traffic, crossing the street has just been a matter of taking my time about doing so, and keeping in mind (at times) that I needed to be good and sure there would be no pressure to feel like I had to hurry out the way of any cars.
Before the leg injuries, but also now that they're both (knock-on-wood) pretty much back to "good-as-new", there was no issue with getting from any sidewalk/walking area into "the gutter" in order to cross. After, however, there was (again, depending on where and when it was).
In one of the "foundation" posts I mentioned Street D (my own, a quiet one that I don't even count), Street C (a more rural and more challenging one for a combination of reasons, but one that doesn't have curbs at all), and Street B (a bigger, busier, "more main", one than the actual "main drag" (Street A). Street B has what I think of a "God-knows-what when it comes to where sidewalk, or walking area, meet the road". It does have some curbs of varying heights. Street B is at the end of another, fairly busy sometimes, street that empties out onto Street B. Other than that, the particular stretch of Street B that I walk on has no busy intersections or sets of lights.
Before the first leg injury; and whether or not I was on Street B or Street, I pretty much didn't want any cars to stop to let me cross; mainly because the traffic such that it's either light (and fairly fast-moving), somewhat heavier (particularly on Street A) but still fairly fast-moving, stop-and-go in some areas (n which case, crossing can both be easier and/or require more concentration, depending...), or so light that cars may tend more to go faster than usual.
For any or all of those reasons, I pretty much have never wanted cars stopping to let me cross the street because I can either wait it out (I don't mind), find a better place to cross, and be better able to concentrate more on doing whatever it is that will keep me safer but also not involve stopping a whole line of cars just to let me cross. It's not the city. It's different.
Before the leg injuries I'd just kind of step back from the street, try to make kind of a "big and obvious deal" that I had no wish/plans to cross the street, watch what was going on with the cars/traffic, and quickly get myself from the sidewalk/walking area into the street as I crossed quickly.
(By the way, I take back what i said in the previous post about this one being "relatively brief".)
Anyway....
Both before and after the leg injuries, I haven't wanted or needed any cars to stop and let me cross; and I just described my way of trying to prevent that from happening. of course, people have been conditioned to think in terms of "pedestrians have the right of way". So, some people - city or suburbs - try to do what they think is the right thing. That's been why I have to step back from the "curb"/"gutter" and try to make it obvious that I'm "not crossing". Even with that, however, there have occasionally been drivers who stop, beep their horns (as if I've been waiting so long that I've become bored, started day-dreaming, and forgotten to watch for any "kind souls" who have stopped to let me cross). I know they mean well (oh, the old, "meaning well" thing) , but it really drives me nuts when someone does that because I'm not now, and never have been, the kind of person who doesn't stay complete on top of what I'm doing at any given time - particularly when it comes to crossing the street.
Those few well-meaning but incorrectly mind-reading followers of "general rules of the road" aside), most of the time the thing about not making a big deal about crossing has worked well for me. All I've had to do is stay away from the edge of the road, make it clear that I'm not looking both ways and at the cars (or across the street), and that's been it. It hasn't been so easy since the leg/knee injuries, however, because it hasn't been so easy to get from sidewalk/walking area down into the "gutter" without some care and planning. This means that there has pretty much been no staying on the walking area and making that big deal about not crossing; keeping an eye on the traffic situation, and then just hopping/zipping down into the lower-level street/"gutter" and crossing.
With that extra and care, thinking, and planning having become issues (at least for awhile), what it has meant has been introducing the factor of staying in the walking area/sidewalk long enough until there were truly no cars anywhere to be seen/expected and then taking a little extra time to get into the gutter/street before REALLY paying attention to any cars that may have shown up in the meantime. What it has also meant, however, has been that once I've been "in the gutter" it's generally pretty hard to pretend that I'm not even thinking about crossing the street. Also, one one is actually in the street (and particularly n some areas of the route), one is at higher risk of being hit by a car.
On Street A, even where there is "standard curb" (even a "real-life, standard, designated, crossing place) there is sometimes a thin layer of sand in areas. There may or may not varying amounts of other stuff (bits of gravel, small stones, etc.); but even with all the "polish" and "wonderful-ness" of what is very much like a "real" city-type sidewalk and crossing area; making that move from sidewalk down into the street is more complicated for the person with "knee issues" (particularly when those issues may be related to stability for one reason or another).
That "big and official" curb associated with that "real" sidewalk and crossing area means having that more clearly delineated "line" between sidewalk and actual street; and as I said earlier, sometimes getting down from a curb works better for the knee-/knees-issues person than walking down even a slight incline ever would/could.
Things will be different for me now that a) I've gotten to where the injuries feel "good as new" but also as I've gotten past a Winter when walking just wasn't possible at all and during which I just became un-used to doing a walk that long (and of that type) at all; but since the first leg injury at the beginning of 2010, I've most often had to avoid using that designated crossing area completely.
What makes it worse is that there's one side that involves a little hill but not as much traffic. There's another side that involves the most traffic, at the bottom of a hill, and sometimes "coming from all directions" and at varying speeds. What I've always done is walk to where the cars are only going in the usual two directions, where there's a driveway/parking lot that doesn't involve anything but a "smooth transition" into the street, and where I can do my "pretend-I'm-not-crossing" thing when necessary. Also, the street is narrowed away from the intersection and lights, which, of course, means spending less time in the street at all. There's also "the hope" of so little traffic that traffic is not an issue AND the hope that the stop-and-go traffic at the lights can (if one is careful to watch) mean being able to cross more easily. How safe this approach is depends on the kind of traffic there is. In general, that hill I mentioned elsewhere, combined with being able to see quite far down Street A in the other direction, make this "approach" not as hazardous as it might otherwise seem.
Elderly Pedestrians - A Chicken/Egg Kind Of Question
Since I plan to (eventually and elsewhere) focus on some of the issues that elderly people who live in the suburbs face (at least suburbs of the "type" in which I live), I'll just make a few comments here related to that. One is that while I know there is "elderly transportation" available in the area; I don't like the word, "elderly", because it kind of conjures up the image of a very frail person of advanced age, for whom the idea of just walking across his own living room may be (or seem) outrageous. There's no doubt that if people are fortunate enough to live long enough they're likely to get to some point where they're pretty much sitting in a wheelchair with a blanket over their lap (you know the image, but also the reality that such people exist somewhere, if not within your own family). So, those aren't the people I have in mind when writing about "elderly" in relation to being a pedestrian in the suburbs or anywhere else. I don't mind the term, "elderly", being used to refer to those people either.
For the generally and/or reasonably healthy and active people who are "over a certain age" I just prefer to use the term, "older people". Let's just say it like it is. They aren't "young people"; and while nobody knows how long one may expect to live, there's a point where, say, sixty just plain-old isn't "middle-aged".
I'm making these comments about older people's being pedestrians (or not) because I can't help but wonder if one reason so few adults do much walking in the suburbs may be that so many people (even reasonably young ones) develop things like arthritis in, or damage to, their knees - not to mention any "out-of-shape-ness" that starts with insufficient activity (namely, not enough of the right kind of walking), for example) that leaves a person more prone to injuries that set people on a whole downward spiral; of "bad knees". Then, too, there are the people who damage things like knees with years of one or another kind of athletic activity. The point is that when I refer to "older people" or adults I'm pretty much thinking about people who find themselves somewhere between, maybe, forty-five and the age at which they may/may not become that frail, "elderly", person in a wheelchair. While I see forty-five as "still younger than many people realize it is", I'm including that age as I get ready to make my point about the "chicken/egg" thing (and you probably already know where I'm going anyway).
In general, the issues of "the elderly" are well addressed in a suburb like mine, but in a "car-centric" area where "everyone drives everywhere) there are a lot of middle-aged and older people who (even if they go out for a morning or evening walk on their own, quiet, street or a path designated as a "good place to walk"; there are a whole lot of people who don't have a lot of time to do more walking (much other physical activity) because they have families, jobs, and whatever else make up their life. So many people don't have the luxury of not getting in their car and getting to wherever they need to be within ten or twenty minutes. I'm not going to get into the whole thing about who has the time or inclination to, say, go hiking in the mountains or otherwise be outdoorsy and active on a regular basis.
The real point is that there can be (is) a gap between being perfectly healthy and able-bodied and needing "special elderly transportation" (or a home health-aid).
I can't help but wonder if, assuming someone may have a little more time on his hands (for example, kids are in school and/or grown; or else someone makes his own hours) if the combination of things like curbs and/or traffic mixed with one or another degree of, say, "knee issues" associated with being middle-aged or older may well be the very thing contributes (at least in places such as where I live) to that downward spiral (not just with regard to mobility, but with anything that stems from having problems with it).
In other words, are car-centric suburbs (those great places to raise children, but even great places for people who don't want to deal with whatever goes with living in a city, making a whole lot of people stick with the nice, smooth and/or even, surfaces, of their nice, quiet, streets (or paths) only because they have some kind of, maybe, "knee issue" that makes walking (even when one does have some time for it) somewhere more challenging , in fact, far too challenging.
Individual circumstances and towns/cities or regions aside, the decade between, say, being forty-five with arthritis in one knee (for one reason or another) and fifty-five, with that arthritis having gotten worse, could be the decade that determines who gets knee a replacement at fifty-five, who has severe limitations until he gets one at sixty or sixty-five, and who is fortunate enough not to have something like arthritis at that sixty-five. In other words, with regard to the thing that "nobody walks in the suburbs" is at least some percentage of that a matter of "chicken or egg"?
I'm not going to get in any of the other matters associated with why walking where I live is uncomfortable and a challenge here or now. I just wanted to lay yet a different type of foundation for things I plan to write (here or somewhere else) mainly because I'm about to write a post about curbs, cars, and knee issues where I live; and while it will be relatively brief (RELATIVELY) it will also be extremely boring, tedious, and detailed (not to mention of interest to pretty much no one, as far as I can imagine).
It's just that I can't make other points without first making the ones about curbs and cars (and also - I'll admit it - I'm concerned about writing such detail and appearing to "want a medal"for doing the thing that a) I've had little choice but to do at times, and/or b) the thing that I believed would preserve, improve, my own mobility and health.
For the generally and/or reasonably healthy and active people who are "over a certain age" I just prefer to use the term, "older people". Let's just say it like it is. They aren't "young people"; and while nobody knows how long one may expect to live, there's a point where, say, sixty just plain-old isn't "middle-aged".
I'm making these comments about older people's being pedestrians (or not) because I can't help but wonder if one reason so few adults do much walking in the suburbs may be that so many people (even reasonably young ones) develop things like arthritis in, or damage to, their knees - not to mention any "out-of-shape-ness" that starts with insufficient activity (namely, not enough of the right kind of walking), for example) that leaves a person more prone to injuries that set people on a whole downward spiral; of "bad knees". Then, too, there are the people who damage things like knees with years of one or another kind of athletic activity. The point is that when I refer to "older people" or adults I'm pretty much thinking about people who find themselves somewhere between, maybe, forty-five and the age at which they may/may not become that frail, "elderly", person in a wheelchair. While I see forty-five as "still younger than many people realize it is", I'm including that age as I get ready to make my point about the "chicken/egg" thing (and you probably already know where I'm going anyway).
In general, the issues of "the elderly" are well addressed in a suburb like mine, but in a "car-centric" area where "everyone drives everywhere) there are a lot of middle-aged and older people who (even if they go out for a morning or evening walk on their own, quiet, street or a path designated as a "good place to walk"; there are a whole lot of people who don't have a lot of time to do more walking (much other physical activity) because they have families, jobs, and whatever else make up their life. So many people don't have the luxury of not getting in their car and getting to wherever they need to be within ten or twenty minutes. I'm not going to get into the whole thing about who has the time or inclination to, say, go hiking in the mountains or otherwise be outdoorsy and active on a regular basis.
The real point is that there can be (is) a gap between being perfectly healthy and able-bodied and needing "special elderly transportation" (or a home health-aid).
I can't help but wonder if, assuming someone may have a little more time on his hands (for example, kids are in school and/or grown; or else someone makes his own hours) if the combination of things like curbs and/or traffic mixed with one or another degree of, say, "knee issues" associated with being middle-aged or older may well be the very thing contributes (at least in places such as where I live) to that downward spiral (not just with regard to mobility, but with anything that stems from having problems with it).
In other words, are car-centric suburbs (those great places to raise children, but even great places for people who don't want to deal with whatever goes with living in a city, making a whole lot of people stick with the nice, smooth and/or even, surfaces, of their nice, quiet, streets (or paths) only because they have some kind of, maybe, "knee issue" that makes walking (even when one does have some time for it) somewhere more challenging , in fact, far too challenging.
Individual circumstances and towns/cities or regions aside, the decade between, say, being forty-five with arthritis in one knee (for one reason or another) and fifty-five, with that arthritis having gotten worse, could be the decade that determines who gets knee a replacement at fifty-five, who has severe limitations until he gets one at sixty or sixty-five, and who is fortunate enough not to have something like arthritis at that sixty-five. In other words, with regard to the thing that "nobody walks in the suburbs" is at least some percentage of that a matter of "chicken or egg"?
I'm not going to get in any of the other matters associated with why walking where I live is uncomfortable and a challenge here or now. I just wanted to lay yet a different type of foundation for things I plan to write (here or somewhere else) mainly because I'm about to write a post about curbs, cars, and knee issues where I live; and while it will be relatively brief (RELATIVELY) it will also be extremely boring, tedious, and detailed (not to mention of interest to pretty much no one, as far as I can imagine).
It's just that I can't make other points without first making the ones about curbs and cars (and also - I'll admit it - I'm concerned about writing such detail and appearing to "want a medal"for doing the thing that a) I've had little choice but to do at times, and/or b) the thing that I believed would preserve, improve, my own mobility and health.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
The Little "Project" Of Writing That "Foundation Posts"....
These posts I've been writing about the walking conditions where I live are kind of a handy thing for me to resort to when I'm not in the mood, or don't have the time or inclination to write something else. I actually have (on files in a computer that I can't get to right now) a bunch of pictures of a good portion of that walking route. I took them with the idea of "maybe one day writing something about this" (and maybe, too, not having to try to describe it in words). But, since I'm such an efficient neat-nik AND so careful about not overloading my phone's memory (card or otherwise)) I'm always super-quick to delete anything that has no real reason for remaining in the phone; the price of that has been to unable to get to a limited number of files that were stored on the PC during a fairly brief period (between the time lightning knocked out my Internet card and the time dust built on the CPU fan - but, as they say, I digress).
In any case, while I don't expect anyone to be interested in these long, excruciatingly detailed, accounts of the walking conditions, at least the posts are here and in one place if I ever want/need them for anything.
In any case, while I don't expect anyone to be interested in these long, excruciatingly detailed, accounts of the walking conditions, at least the posts are here and in one place if I ever want/need them for anything.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
I Need To Write Just A Couple/Few More Posts Related To The First Two "Foundation Posts" About The Walking In The Suburbs
There are a few more points I want to make as part of the "foundation" posts that I wrote within the last day or so; and I want to keep together all posts that paint that "foundation picture" of the walking route. The next ones will be shorter than the others. I'm still trying to decide if I want to post some things that I originally posted on other blogs. On the one hand, I kind of hate to even post any of the "foundation" posts anywhere at all; but there are any number of angles and/or related subjects I plan to write on; and it just seems like a good idea to at least have some of that "foundation picture" down in some rough form.
Some of things I have in mind to write about aren't necessarily limited to walking in the suburbs. Some aren't limited to someone who may have (even a temporary and/or limited) disability involving being able to walk normally. I won't go into all the angles/subjects I have in mind here. It'll just make for another kind of pointless post. It's 5:30 a.m. right now. I'm on my first coffee.
Some of things I have in mind to write about aren't necessarily limited to walking in the suburbs. Some aren't limited to someone who may have (even a temporary and/or limited) disability involving being able to walk normally. I won't go into all the angles/subjects I have in mind here. It'll just make for another kind of pointless post. It's 5:30 a.m. right now. I'm on my first coffee.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
A Companion Post to the "Walking in the Suburbs Foundation" Post
While that "foundation post" focused primarily on the issues associated with the walking route itself, this "companion" to it focuses on time or day, season, and weather (and again, before any other issues/factors get factored into the overall (or microscopic) picture.
Now that I've written the "basic-foundation" post about the route to nearest grocery store, I thought I'd write a follow-up/companion post about some other the other things that factor into just the walk, alone. (Eventually, I'll be able to write some nice, brief, posts related to things that are only indirectly related to the walking route, itself.
First, there's the season. In Winter it's a balancing act to get out in time to do the walk and still, ideally, get back before it's gets too dark (and even more ideally, to get out of the evening rush hour traffic which a) can seem worse when it's dark at 4:30 p.m., and b) can seem particularly confusing and difficult for a pedestrian crossing where I need to cross at that time; but also to get out out late enough in the morning that the worst of the cold (and dark) may be a little better. Things get better with Spring, but there's a time when it's darker later in the morning and not light all that late in the evening.
Summer is good daylight-wise - but then there's Summer sun, and also mosquitos (etc.). Summer is a balancing act about getting out early enough to get back before, say, 9:30 a.m. sometimes (certainly by 1:00 p.m. on other days).
It's Massachusetts, though, so daylight aside, there's seldom much of a guarantee (no, never) that weather will be what one would expect at any given time. This year, we've had temperatures in the 40's in June. April was colder than we generally think of April, and even though March is "official start of Spring", it's just as likely that March will seem like February. A few years ago we had a freak "almost non-Winter". Last Winter we had both record-breakng snow AND cold.
Then, of course, there's rain (sometimes downpours, sometimes quick thunderstorms, sometimes (as with the last few days), tornado watches/warnings from morning until 9:00 p.m. "across the whole state").
There's a great time around May when it's kind of the best of all worlds - a little more light, no mosquitos, decent temperatures, etc. That's if May is normal. This year it wasn't; and April was far from 'completely away from the record-breaking Winter".
Then, too, we have "hot and humid", but we also have "hot and not-so-humid". I don't know... as far as I can tell we tend to have wind, no matter how hot and humid it is or isn't; and it all depends on where the wind is coming from (although sometimes I think on the route to the store, the wind is mainly coming from the traffic that's whizzing by - or maybe it's a mix of both, or maybe it has to do with those areas where there aren't trees to break up the wind). The point is, wind is a major factor for any number of reasons not necessarily associated with contributing to a wind-chill factor (or even to turning one's umbrella inside out).
If there are downpours expected I don't make plans to go out. One problem is that I dodn't plan to let rain stop me from going out either. That means being out on a walk that takes hours (and or the return trip) and trying to stay dry on a walk that can take an hour (or even a half hour) one way. The trouble is, rain can contribute to making the walk slower.
The balancing act bit isn't just about timing. It's about having with one, or wearing, things related to weather without either being too cold or too warm if/when the weather isn't cooperating.
Factored in too is having whatever it takes to protect, say, one's purchases from any weather, as well. Also factored in is having whatever may be needed most quickly handy (which can be tricky when one either wraps up one's whole, neatly organized, wallet in a plastic bag that will protect contents from rain; or else otherwise finds oneself needing to go through a purse/bag anywhere near or in, either the difficult "road conditions" or any weather conditions.
Sometimes weather means bringing stuff with one that one wouldn't otherwise need. Ordinarily, I keep a pair of gloves (the ones that look least Wintry) in my bag until April. l April morning and evenings (and afternoons, for that matter) can be cold. This year it became clear to me that I should leave the gloves in my bag much longer. Actually, in spite of the forties that we had a few days ago, I finally decided to go out without the gloves in my bag (but I still haven't put them away entirely). It's now the beginning of July. I finally think putting away the gloves is safe.
The balancing act related to outdoor conditions, and that particular walking route, also involves finding some "all purpose" clothes that won't be too uncomfortable, regardless of weather conditions (which often means never being completely comfortable, but at least not being super-uncomfortable).
I've learned from experience that between rainy curbs and chunks of ice that hide under snow, there's something to be said for having one's (over fifty-year-old) knees covered up with the layers that nylons, a skirt and long slip, and a coat (and in particularl cold weather, sometimes a second skirt that doesn't show). There's even those times (it's only happened once in my case) when a tire comes flying off a vehicle not far from where one is walking, and one doesn't know where one may have to run to find shelter from it.
The balancing act also kicks in with things like whether or not to bring a flashlight that's small and lightweight, but bright versus one that's small and lightweight but not entirely as bright versus one that's tiny and bright and will light a dark street but not do much for helping drivers see a pedestrian. The no-flashlight at all option is nice because it's one less thing to carry. The trouble is that can limit options like deciding one might like to eat out, rather than at home as planned.
Umbrellas. In general, the most compact ones are also the ones that offer the least coverage and are more likely to turn inside out. Bigger ones (that still fold down to fit in a bag) are heavier. Balancing act with regard to umbrellas: Will the bigger umbrella even stand up to some winds better than the smaller one? And, does one want to add the weight of a back-up umbrella in the relatively unlikely event that one is going to turn inside out? The super-cheap, lightweight, umbrella that I may have with me when I'm out with someone in a car isn't the same one that I want with me when I'm an hour-and-a-half away from home "in the weather".
The point is that before anything else is factored in, the weather and outdoor conditions combine with the other elements of the route;; and create the need for having to think out what one will/won't need at any given time (while doing yet another kind of balancing act - the "what-keeps-the-weight-of-the-bag" down" best versus the "what I'll definitely need/what I only may need, and what I might be sorry I don't have" factors.
Now that I've written the "basic-foundation" post about the route to nearest grocery store, I thought I'd write a follow-up/companion post about some other the other things that factor into just the walk, alone. (Eventually, I'll be able to write some nice, brief, posts related to things that are only indirectly related to the walking route, itself.
First, there's the season. In Winter it's a balancing act to get out in time to do the walk and still, ideally, get back before it's gets too dark (and even more ideally, to get out of the evening rush hour traffic which a) can seem worse when it's dark at 4:30 p.m., and b) can seem particularly confusing and difficult for a pedestrian crossing where I need to cross at that time; but also to get out out late enough in the morning that the worst of the cold (and dark) may be a little better. Things get better with Spring, but there's a time when it's darker later in the morning and not light all that late in the evening.
Summer is good daylight-wise - but then there's Summer sun, and also mosquitos (etc.). Summer is a balancing act about getting out early enough to get back before, say, 9:30 a.m. sometimes (certainly by 1:00 p.m. on other days).
It's Massachusetts, though, so daylight aside, there's seldom much of a guarantee (no, never) that weather will be what one would expect at any given time. This year, we've had temperatures in the 40's in June. April was colder than we generally think of April, and even though March is "official start of Spring", it's just as likely that March will seem like February. A few years ago we had a freak "almost non-Winter". Last Winter we had both record-breakng snow AND cold.
Then, of course, there's rain (sometimes downpours, sometimes quick thunderstorms, sometimes (as with the last few days), tornado watches/warnings from morning until 9:00 p.m. "across the whole state").
There's a great time around May when it's kind of the best of all worlds - a little more light, no mosquitos, decent temperatures, etc. That's if May is normal. This year it wasn't; and April was far from 'completely away from the record-breaking Winter".
Then, too, we have "hot and humid", but we also have "hot and not-so-humid". I don't know... as far as I can tell we tend to have wind, no matter how hot and humid it is or isn't; and it all depends on where the wind is coming from (although sometimes I think on the route to the store, the wind is mainly coming from the traffic that's whizzing by - or maybe it's a mix of both, or maybe it has to do with those areas where there aren't trees to break up the wind). The point is, wind is a major factor for any number of reasons not necessarily associated with contributing to a wind-chill factor (or even to turning one's umbrella inside out).
If there are downpours expected I don't make plans to go out. One problem is that I dodn't plan to let rain stop me from going out either. That means being out on a walk that takes hours (and or the return trip) and trying to stay dry on a walk that can take an hour (or even a half hour) one way. The trouble is, rain can contribute to making the walk slower.
The balancing act bit isn't just about timing. It's about having with one, or wearing, things related to weather without either being too cold or too warm if/when the weather isn't cooperating.
Factored in too is having whatever it takes to protect, say, one's purchases from any weather, as well. Also factored in is having whatever may be needed most quickly handy (which can be tricky when one either wraps up one's whole, neatly organized, wallet in a plastic bag that will protect contents from rain; or else otherwise finds oneself needing to go through a purse/bag anywhere near or in, either the difficult "road conditions" or any weather conditions.
Sometimes weather means bringing stuff with one that one wouldn't otherwise need. Ordinarily, I keep a pair of gloves (the ones that look least Wintry) in my bag until April. l April morning and evenings (and afternoons, for that matter) can be cold. This year it became clear to me that I should leave the gloves in my bag much longer. Actually, in spite of the forties that we had a few days ago, I finally decided to go out without the gloves in my bag (but I still haven't put them away entirely). It's now the beginning of July. I finally think putting away the gloves is safe.
The balancing act related to outdoor conditions, and that particular walking route, also involves finding some "all purpose" clothes that won't be too uncomfortable, regardless of weather conditions (which often means never being completely comfortable, but at least not being super-uncomfortable).
I've learned from experience that between rainy curbs and chunks of ice that hide under snow, there's something to be said for having one's (over fifty-year-old) knees covered up with the layers that nylons, a skirt and long slip, and a coat (and in particularl cold weather, sometimes a second skirt that doesn't show). There's even those times (it's only happened once in my case) when a tire comes flying off a vehicle not far from where one is walking, and one doesn't know where one may have to run to find shelter from it.
The balancing act also kicks in with things like whether or not to bring a flashlight that's small and lightweight, but bright versus one that's small and lightweight but not entirely as bright versus one that's tiny and bright and will light a dark street but not do much for helping drivers see a pedestrian. The no-flashlight at all option is nice because it's one less thing to carry. The trouble is that can limit options like deciding one might like to eat out, rather than at home as planned.
Umbrellas. In general, the most compact ones are also the ones that offer the least coverage and are more likely to turn inside out. Bigger ones (that still fold down to fit in a bag) are heavier. Balancing act with regard to umbrellas: Will the bigger umbrella even stand up to some winds better than the smaller one? And, does one want to add the weight of a back-up umbrella in the relatively unlikely event that one is going to turn inside out? The super-cheap, lightweight, umbrella that I may have with me when I'm out with someone in a car isn't the same one that I want with me when I'm an hour-and-a-half away from home "in the weather".
The point is that before anything else is factored in, the weather and outdoor conditions combine with the other elements of the route;; and create the need for having to think out what one will/won't need at any given time (while doing yet another kind of balancing act - the "what-keeps-the-weight-of-the-bag" down" best versus the "what I'll definitely need/what I only may need, and what I might be sorry I don't have" factors.
Friday, July 3, 2015
A "Foundation Post"
The following isn't particularly what one would think of as "a blog post", but I wanted a handy place to post it - not because I think anyone will really read it, but in case I want to refer to it in the future. I may move or delete it at some point. For now, it's here and away from the big mix of other stuff I have online under names other than "WordCrafter 09".
Walking In The Suburbs - A "Foundation Post"
Introduction to this long "post" (It's not exactly what one would think of as a "blog post").
I've called this post/page "A Foundation Post" because there are any number of things I want to write about that won't make sense, or present a clear enough picture, without first presenting the "basic backdrop" against which some of those other "issues" exist. For the most part, I don't expect too many people to read this long, tedious, account of the challenges to pedestrians in the suburbs (or at least the kind of suburb where I live, which is kind of rural-turned-semi-rural=-but-only-away-from-the-main-drag.
I figured I'd write this "foundation post" so that, at least, I can refer to it in anything I write in the future.
There are some things that I'd like to write about, but in order for them to make any sense someone would have to have a solid understanding of what's involved in living where I live and having no driver's license or car. (My driver's license was a casualty of a divorce that was handled in a really bizarre way.). I've written about the situation elsewhere. The main point is that things were handled in such a bizarre way (AND, because I couldn't straight answers from people as goal-posts kept being moved by one or another person in "The System"), even when I've had the "spare" x-hundred (or how-ever-many) dollars to get the license squared away, I've just been too "paranoid" about handing over that much money - only to discover that some other goal-post had been moved, and I couldn't get the money back and use it for something that would actually be more useful to me.
In any case, I'm going to post a few kind of random posts as a way of laying a foundation for any number of other things I want to write about.
This first one is about some of things that have made the idea of "just running out for milk" something that only someone in a situation like mine would understand. Basically, there is no such thing as "just running out to the store". This has affected my life and health in ways that one might never expect.
So, here's the first (and first post about some of the "issues" involved with part of the route to few stores at all within "reasonable" walking distance:
My Own Street (I'm Going To Call It "Street D")
On my own street there isn't really much problem walking. There's the occasional storm drain or crack here or there that one has to watch out for. (Storm drains often have some "issue" around them, whether that's breaks in pavement or some other thing that makes the area surrounding them one where a walker has to kind of watch out. ) That's kind of the least of all problems, however. in general, walking is fine on the type of street I live on.
There are some areas that tend to flood to some extent, which means that heavy downpours or rain-with-snow-melting can mean trying to find one's way around those areas; sometimes it's not so much "big flooding" as it is a big puddle that fills the whole street area, but if one walks in the middle of the street (which tends to slant toward the sides), one won't be ankle-deep in water and instead (if one walks very carefully) one's wet shoes won't be filled with water.
Other than that (and the fact that some of those puddle/flooding areas freeze in Winter), the only real thing I have to worry about on my street are two curves where cars that come around the curve a little more quickly than they should can't see a walker because of the curve or trees. People don't really expect to see walkers on the side of the road, but I know to stay on the other side of the street at those curves (provided there's no flooding or ice at/around the storm drains near the curves). In any case, it's not a big problem, but just something to pay attention to.
The bad thing about my street (or streets like it) is that there is no much traffic, so in Winter it's more likely to become, or stay, an icy or snowy situation.
After My Street (I'll Call The Next Street There Is To Deal With On The "Outbound Walk", "Street C"
After my street there's a small (narrow) street that has no sidewalks but has quite a few cars, school buses and/or bigger vehicles during the day. At night that street is close to "pitch dark" because there aren't a lot of street lights. The part of that street that leads me to one that will get me to the town's "main drag" has a curve that's substantial enough for the speed limit to be 25 (which most people ignore). There's a guard rail at that curve. I generally aim to walk on the side of the street that has no guardrail, but the thing with that one's back is to the cars;; and there's a stretch where the person walking would not be seen by cars because of trees or other growth. There's a driveway there, so what I do is keep an eye back, watching for cars that are coming and then step into the driveway far enough from the road so that if a car didn't see me I won't be at the edge of the road.
What's tricky right at the end of my street is that if I don't walk to be on the guardrail side I need to cross to that other side of the street immediately, but what's on that side is (and I don't blame the people who own the house for this) a row of good sized rocks (to keep cars from destroying the street edge of their lawn, I'm assuming - or else maybe just to slow down any cars that are going too fast and may end up in the people's yard). The issue (for me) with those, or any other "yard barriers") is that if a car comes too close to the edge of the road and I want to jump out of the way and onto someone's lawn, doing that would be trickier.
i've figured out that the best thing to do for dealing with that curve section of the that street is to walk a few feet on the guardrail side of the road (where's there's a driveway first anyway), and then cross over to the past-the-rocks section of the other side of the street (which means crossing over to right where that area is that I mentioned that involves a tree and a blocked view of any pedestrians right at that spot.). Also, however, since there's essentially a second curve involved, crossing right there (or someone near it) means having to be particularly careful of cars coming from either direction (particularly those coming too fast because they think it's a back road where "nobody walks").
Once I get past the guardrail I cross back to the side of the street where I can see the cars coming toward me. From there, the only real issue on that street is that there aren't sidewalks and it's narrow. When big vehicles, two vehicles at the same time (going in opposite directions), or just cars that come a little too close to the edge of the street, come by; it requires stepping farther in off the road (where there are things like inclines, growth, rocks, or just the general need to be a little more careful).
The opposite side of the street along that stretch isn't too bad, but there's no real reason to walk on that side on the way out. On the way back it's better to walk on that other side. One problem with that, however, is that the road isn't quite as smooth as it is on the other side.
There are a couple of big trees on that "first" side of the street that are big enough to "hide" a person walking. I'm always aware of choosing to either feel "protected" by the big trees (if a car is going slowly enough) and stepping off the road (to accommodate cars) and being blocked by the trees (physically but in view as well). I just go by what seems right at the moment.
It's all pretty nerve-wracking sometimes, however.
One good thing is that once it's dark (and late enough) that street doesn't have many cars. Another good thing is that headlights mean one can see cars coming from behind curves more easily (hopefully, they have those lights on). The bad thing is that at night people REALLY don't think there'll be anyone walking on that street.
For the most part, that particular street is kind of a "worst-of-all-worlds" kind of street for pedestrians.
When there's ice or puddles there can be pretty much no choice but to walk on, or in, either. It's a back enough street, though, that one can (if one is careful to watch) just kind of scoot up the middle of the road (watching for cars coming in either direction).
This street (or at least the part that I need to walk on in order to get to the next, more "main", street) is not a long street (thankfully). The last challenge is at the end of it, where, because the turn from the next street to this one isn't a clear-cut/sharp turn, and is a more a matter of "bear right" sort of thing; cars tend to whip around that turn fairly quickly. So, there's the matter of keeping that in mind at all times when one is on that particular side of the road. The mini-challenge to this little section of that street is that crossing the road before the place where the cars come whipping around that bend means crossing right where one of those cars might not expect someone right in the middle of that part of the street. There are some trees of varying sizes between where cars start to think about turning and where that turn is, so they're a factor too.
My approach (particularly at night) is often to walk far enough past that turn to be able to walk directly across from the other street to this one. Since it's a "bear right type of thing" that means there's a big section of street to walk by in order to be able to walk directly to that "better" side of the "problem street". Sometimes, if the walk is at night or in Winter, having to add those additional feet/yards (I don't know how many of either is involved, because it can depend on other "variables") isn't really what I feel like doing. Also, that other side of the turn isn't the best with regard to smooth surface.
I pretty much do "whatever" when it comes to what I do by that turn. Either way, there's a whole lot of head-turning and watching involved at least until I get far enough in from that turn where a car that made the turn too fast a) can see me and see slow down and/or b) isn't likely to hit me as a result of that whatever issues are at that turn.
From This Street To The Next (The Longest Stretch/Street To Get To The "Main Drag"). (I'll Call This One, "Street B")
Note: (I probably should have included this note earlier, but here's my reasoning for giving the streets the letters that I've given them, and the order in which I've assigned those letters.)
I'm going to refer to this street as "Street B". (Considering my own street as "Street D", the street I just described as "Street C"; and the "main drag", "Street A". ) I suppose I see Streets A and B as the main issues/problems because the route to "civilization" from where I live is primarily on these two streets. Besides, it makes sense to call the "main drag", "A", I suppose. That's certainly how the town sees/treats it, say, during and after snow- or ice- storms. Fair enough, I know.
The best way to describe my own street when snow/ice are an issue is to say that anyone who knows the street pretty much knows that if one looks out the window and thinks, "OMG. I'm in here until June." or "OMG, what is this? Siberia?" one must remember at all times that if he can get to what I'm now calling "Street C" there's a fairly good chance he'll discover that it's either down to blacktop (or almost to that in some instances), and cars are pretty much coming and going as usual.
My street may not be quite as oppressive and/or discouraging looking for people who don't feel like they're suffocating when there's big, heavy, snow on trees (or worse, when they're so weighed down by it they they're dipped branches form arches). And, it may not be so bad for anyone who doesn't feel like he's suffocating when one can't see at least some hint of blacktop somewhere (and the five/six feet of snow we got last Winter didn't help in this department. As far as I go, however, anything more than light snow, or else heavier snow that doesn't really stay on the trees too long, makes me feel like I'm absolutely suffocating. Well, woods make me feel like I'm suffocating too; and where I live isn't so much a "leafy" suburb as it is a "pine-y" one (which can be perfectly fine as long as a) there's not too much snow and/or b) one keeps to the neighborhoods or main roads (which have continued to replace woods anyway; which I'm not all that pleased about either, ironically enough.
But I digress. Back to "Street B" (in case you've forgotten by now, the second-busier of the two biggest "issue" streets).
Street B
Street B is not horrible, really. It's just that the sidewalk isn't great. How much of a problem that is can depend on who is doing the walking (or running) on it, but also on how long that person will be walking on that street.
One big issue for that side of the street (whether it involves the sidewalk or a whole big area of someone's driveway, the sidewalk, and the street) are puddles. There's a strip of grassy, or grassy stuff, or a mixture of both and dirt (with or without holes of varying degrees/sizes).
In some places that strip of growth/grass is kind of a mound. It other places it's a big mound. Then again, it's flat in some other places. How useful the strip is when there are puddles depends on how big the puddles are and which section of strip is involved. There's also a couple/few places where the puddles cover a whole corner of a sidestreet that needs to be crossed; and the walker is faced with either walking quite a way up the street or else stepping out into Street B and walking way around the puddle (making sure not only that there aren't any cars coming, but also that any that do show up will clearly know that the walker is only walking around a puddle and will be moving back from closer-to-the-middle-of-the-street as soon as possible.
Another problem with Street B is that any sticks, little stones, gravel, acorns, sand, or whatever-else that may be at least a small issue on the sidewalk are also likely to an issue in the "gutter" part of the street. (There's no "gutter", really. There's only a curb in some places. In other places, it may be something more along the lines of climbing down from a mound and into the gutter.) Again, sometimes this stuff doesn't matter as much to some walkers as others. It can depend on any number of things, including whether the walker has, say, a back problem or, say, a leg injury - that type of thing.)
The sidewalk on Street B has enough spots where sand has settled in them to make it obvious that the sidewalk is not completely smooth, even it looks fairly smooth in a lot of places. I've known more than one person to also notice that because the sidewalk is slightly slanted, people know not to walk on that street for exercise because it can bother their back.
Blacktop chunks and breaks can be an issue. They tend to be a bigger problem where sidestreets, or even driveways, intersect Street B and/or its sidewalk. Storm drains tend attract an assortment of "issues" around their edges too. Storm drains, themselves, can also be issues (reason, of course, to climb back up onto the strip of growth and get back down into the "gully" that is the sidewalk (if at all possible).
Leaves sometimes cover over all the "issues". Layers of dry leaves generally mean one must walk carefully (and blindly). Wet leaves present their own set of issues (that may or may not involve "junk" underneath them, puddles, or any sticks that tend to show up more when leaves on the ground are wet.
There are a few places on Street B where the tree roots seem to have created a volcano-like break in the sidwalk; and those areas are a matter of both elevated sidewalk and sharp breaks in the blacktop, mixed in with whatever else has happened where the giant break exists. I don't know if I'd call some of these "root volcanos" or "blacktop volcanos". Maybe both. I don't know... There aren't all that many of them on road from Street C to Street A. The ones that aren't too bad just require careful stepping. The most dramatic ones are kind of a matter of, "OK, so how, exactly, am I going to work this this time?" (Whether or not any puddles or wet grass (whether lawn or "growth strip") are involved can make a difference.) At least one of these "volcanos" has the potential of being qute the ankle twister for anyone who isn't careful. Also, at least one involves not just a "volcano", but the mound variety of growth strip - which means that, for example, the individual who may be a little "tippity" (not to be confused, by the way, with "tipsy") because of something (for example) like some leg injury, or even a loose shoe) has to be very careful not to lose footing and end up toppling off into the "gutter" (as I said, there is no real gutter because there's no curb, or at least no curb that's obvious - probably because the growth has covered any shallow curb; but maybe I just haven't noticed any curb because I make good and sure I stay as close to the top of the "volcano" as possible.)
There's a fairly short (and yet still concerning) part of Street B where the cars kind come around a "minor bend" where the sidewalk isn't as far back from the road as it is on other parts of the street. Long story short on this one: At this particular part of Street B one would be wise to keep an eye on traffic coming from behind (for about two suburban-yards' worth); because as it happens, this is also a part of Street B where cars tend to have picked up a little speed (for reasons I won't go into here).
How Street B sidewalks are in snow: The sidewalks are cleared, but one doesn't really want to make his way into where they're cleared; because they're cleared for a stretch and then that stretch of "cleared" ends with a giant snowbank blocking passage for a pedestrian. (Surprise!! Now the person who has muddled his way over whatever lumps/chunks, and/or ice/puddles there were has to muddle his way back to where there's a driveway opening.) Of course, snowbanks eventually melt, get cleared, or turn into puddlles/ice at the end of sections of sidewalk; but you get the idea.
Of course, before the sidewalks have been cleared (which happens only after the roads have dealt with, which is understandable enough since not too many people want to walk on Street B anyway); snowbanks (which change in degee-of-frozen-ness and height at any time) mean a person must walk in the street, watch for giant plows and cars, and get into driveways when any vehicles come by (because snowbanks also mean walking farther out into the road, of course).
The thing with snowbanks is that if they're low enough or soft enough for a person to jump into, on or over them; there's always that as a way out in the event a vehicle comes too close (assuming there's time, of course). If they're too high and/or too frozen and essentially form a solid wall alongside the road, that's another thing. Most of the time, they aren't all that high. They do tend to be frozen a good part of the time in Winter; but, worst case, a person could jump somewhere onto a frozen snowbank of reasonable height. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it would be beat trying to jump onto/over, say, a waist-high (or higher) frozen snowbank.
I'm probably forgetting some things about the sidewalk side of Street B. It truly is not as horrible as I may make it seem here. it's just that it's not the kind of "sidewalk situation" where one just walks and doesn't have to look down, be careful, or adjust walking/stepping (according to what issue one runs into on any given day and in any given spot on Street B).
The non-sidewalk side of Street B isn't bad. It's mostly a matter of the road/street edge and either sand/dirt or grass/short growth where the blacktop ends (and it usually ends fairly cleanly on this side of the street - at least until one gets closer to the end of it).
Needless to say, one must watch for cars and be ready to act if anything seems "off", but one can see the cars coming toward him (which is different than, say, that part of the sidewalk side of Street B where one walks on the sidewalk but so close to the cars that come around the bend.
There are a couple of places on this side of Street B where one is wisest to not-walk on this side. One place ir worse than the other, but there's a couple of places where there's a not-obvious/kind of subtle curve, and trees can hide any walker who is just past those trees. As is always the case with curves, however, deciding to cross a fairly busy-ish street before getting to riskier section of the curve can mean crossing where cars (coming from one direction or another) may not see/expect a person to be in the middle of the street, crossing.
In any case, I pretty much make it a point (as much as I hate doing this) to switch back to the sidewalk side of the street just in time to have to deal with a sidestreet tha isn't all that easy to cross (for reasons I won't go into here Well, I'll just say there's sometimes a fairly steady stream of cars stopping at a "stop" sign, coming kind of fast over a little hill before getting to it; and also cars making turns into that street from both directions. There are also broken-blacktop, puddle, and "whatever" issues mixed in with a big-tree/visibility issue for anyone trying to cross. It's still better to take "forever" to cross there than to risk being mowed down by a car coming around the bend on the other side of Street B. (In fairness to cars coming around that bend, people generally assume that pedestrians are going to be on the sidewalk; although the high-school girls' track team sometimes runs on that side of the road. Also, I've seen other pedestrians walk there as well.)
Closer to the end of Street B walking on the non-sidewalk side gets trickier. The surface isn't as clean and break- or "little-stuff-free" there. Crossing back to the sidewalk side means doing so where a curve and some trees don't hide the person in the middle of the street (and, again, unexpected to be there). One just has to sort out where, exactly, one can see cars coming from far enough away. It's easier when there's less green but also easier when there's less snow. I've found that I make sure (besides also making sure I can see what's coming from far enough away) that I'm not where there's a lot of under-foot issues to also have to worry about. (One must keep one's head as clear and worry-free as possible when one doesn't want to be mowed down and/or twist an ankle or fall because of not watching what one is doing.)
I don't want to create the impression that the whole time I'm walking on Street B I'm in fear of twisting an ankle, falling, sliding, or being a hit by a car. I'm not. It's just that (at some times, more than others) a person has to keep an eye for all these things (even if it's only keeping an eye toward the ground in acorn-falling season). Well, just yesterday I was on Street B when - all of a sudden and from out of the blue - a good size branch came out of the a tree and landed on the street. My point is not that it could have hit me as I walked on the sidewalk. My point is that sticks and branches and acorns and whatever else are always coming from somewhere on a street like this; and a person has to kind of watch out for not tripping on those too.
At this point on Street B, it's just about time to think of what one will be doing as he decides whether to take a right on Street A (and in my case, head toward a shopping area that includes a supermarket), or up Street A in the other direction (take a left) and settle for one or three convenience stores within reasonable distance (one, closer than the other two but that doesn't sell bread or bread-related items).
Taking a right onto Street A is the easiest thing to do. There's a reasonably minor uphill incline (although it isn't so minor that the person driving a standard transmission doesn't have to worry about rolling back, for example) that gets a person (or a car) from Street B to Street A (if he, or it, is making that right turn). On foot, all one has to do is walk up the sidewalk, take that right, and keep walking on sidewalk for a good stretch of the first part of the walk on the Street A. More on Street A in this direction later. The price for taking the right onto Street A is most often a longer and sometimes more challenging walk to the shopping area. The price for opting for the shortest walk can be something like having to buy Cheetos or doughnuts for dinner.
The other price for opting for the shorter walk is also opting for a scarier street-crossing situation. Sometimes it isn't as bad as other times. It depends on a number of factors that may/may not be related to the traffic. More on some of those factors later. For now I'll address the corner of Street B involved in taking that left to get the store on the other side of Street A.
One problem with that end/corner of Street B is that under-foot is pretty much a "horror show" of one sort or another, starting quite a way back from the corner and, to some extent, for a ways after turning the corner.
Before turning the corner is a matter of things things like gravel, broken blacktop, sand, and assortment of other "issues" that aren't particularly anyone's fault. Once making that turn on Street A there's a storm drain (with "whatever" issue may be around it, and which I won't step on, if for no reason other than not wanting my shoe to get caught in the "grill").
There's also some sand and gravel, or maybe some cracks in the pavement. For some reason, there's usually at least one gross thing (often a couple of gross things) to watch out not to step on. Before all the blizzards began last Winter, there was dead-skunk remains that "wore away" over time. Needless to say, it can takes months for something like that "wear away". I usually wear sandals that can be thrown in the bathtub;; but that doesn't mean I want to step on gross things. Well, yesterday what was featured on the Street A part of this corner was, for some reason, a couple of slices of cold-cuts and a piece of lettuce and some tomato. There may have been a sand-covered hamburger there too. Then, too, there was some pepperoni. In other words, there were a few pieces of garbage on the street where one has to walk (since there is no sidewalk at all there).
If necessary and one really had to do this, there is stepping up over a high curb and walking on someone's lawn. Besides assuming that people probably don't prefer pedestrians' wearing a path acoss their lawn; in Winter I've found that there can be holes/dents or sometimes rocks on the lawns. Also, since they're not meant for pedestrians, there can be branches hanging. The "off-the-road" area isn't just people's homes, though. There are some businesses, so a person can step up off the road walk onto grass or in driveways without feeling too bad about it (or having to, as far as I'm concerned).
What makes even wanting/needing to step up on that high curb to get off the street is that there's a site of lights at the intersection, and cars that are about to make a right around that kind of rounded corner and onto Street B often cut it close as they do. Also, because it's a main street that gets a lot of traffic (particularly at certain times of day), there can be two lanes of stopped traffic and/or things like good-sized trucks that take up quite a bit of road.
The trouble with stepping up on the curb for even that relatively short stretch of the walk is that a person has to be careful not to let his foot slip and kind of fall into the street. Wet curbs can be slippery. Stepping up and "way over" the curb and onto grass/growth can mean being farther back in from the road (not really far back), which can be a challenge (particularly for the person who has, say, a leg injury; but even for someone with, say, a baby stroller). Getting from "far back" and "up on high ground or curb" down into the street (where the cars are - stopped, turning, or just passing) just adds more steps/complication to the matter of getting out into the street and across as soon as possible.
Here's the thing, though: People aren't supposed to cross from this particular spot (a little ways up from the corner) because they're supposed to cross at the crosswalk, which is essentially associated with the other corner at the end of Street B.
Before addressing of my own (but I've noticed some other people's too) issue with the crosswalks provided at the end of Street B, I'd like to mention that the return trip to get back on Street B from Street A is particularly challenging (mainly because so many cars are whipping around that corner at a "decent" speed, but also because they can be coming across Street A from "the other end of Street B" (and often, since they're scooting through the lights, at a "decent" speed). Cars make a left turn onto Street B from Street A. Sometimes they've been stopped at the lights. Sometimes not. For the most part, those making that left onto Street B seem like less of a worry because that turn has to be made more carefully because the lights that stop traffic coming from that side of Street A are at the bottom of a hill; and the turn onto Street B is lower than the lights. The hill factor can mean that
people who are making that left on Street B are more likely to see the person walking on that side of the road.
So why not just use the crosswalks and "push-the-button-to-walk" that are designed for people who want to get across Street A once reaching the end of Street B?
I had my reasons long before I had any leg injuries that made difficult things such as
stepping up on things like curbs, or even (at least for awhile before the injuries were completely healed) walking down even the slightest inclines (as those provided for people who need a "ramp type of thing" rather than a curb) I avoided using that crosswalk/light feature when it seemed like a wiser idea.
Street A (again, "main drag" in a suburb) has different levels of traffic. Sometimes there are barely any cars on Street A. That means, of course, that crossing is easy enough. It can also mean that there's the occasional (or frequent) car that drives at a speed a little (or a lot) higher than the usual speed used on that street. The "usual speed" is a "fairly decent" speed anyway. With more "standard" traffic, or "medium" traffic, it's almost the worst of all worlds when it comes to crossing that street - seemingly unrelenting cars, all coming at a "fairly decent" speed.
At times when the traffic is the town's version of "rush hour" and/or when "everyone" is out doing their shopping, it can almost be better for pedestrians because there's more stop-and-go traffic going on, at least at places like lights and turns. Then again, if things are REALLY busy, stop-and-go isn't always a help; because there can be all kinds of turns being made by vehicles coming and going from too many different directions (which can be overwhelming for a pedestrian who knows enough to be overwhelmed by the potential hazards in crossing).
In any case, on a street where vehicles are the primary focus, the lights are set and located accordingly (needless to say). At the intersection of Street A and Street B the lights are set to favor Street A. In other words, they're super-quick. The walk/don't-walk feature is also super quick. Before I had any leg issues I had no problem walking quickly, but I found that "walk" feature really, really, brief. I saw, too, that other people (like mothers with a small, walking, child and/or mothers with a stroller) didn't get across the street before "don't walk" was back. In fact, it seemed to me that almost the only people who made it across before "don't walk" was back were kids/people on bikes.
Sure, drivers aren't supposed to just start going once the "don't walk" happens; but not all drivers have been stopped for the "walk". And sure, the quickness, as I knew it then, did allow the average fast-walker to almost get across. Still, with vehicles coming from different directions, this issue (which, I suppose, wasn't/sn't all that serious, considering the number of pedestrians over the course of a day); a person didn't feel great crossing at those lights. Then, of course, once my leg injuries meant there was a challenge in getting from sidewalk or "island" down into the street (and sometimes over the sand, gravel, or whatever); that created a whole "deal" with pushing the button for light and getting into the street fast enough to make that light. (It was a whole thing that I won't go more into here.
The concern for me is that the lights, as I said, are at the bottom of a hill. It isn't a steep hill. It's more a "decent incline". The potential problem is that pedestrians crossing at those lights can't be seen by drivers who come too fast from the "can't-see-them" spot (before coming farther down that incline). Much of the time that doesn't have to be a concern because there's a point where someone may not be able to see the pedestrian but is slowed down or stopped by other cars that are sitting at the light. Keep in mind that the light favors Street A, which means clearing out those stopped cars as quickly as possible. More of a problem than just that can be that whether or the end of the line of cars stopped tips off anyone coming from farther back that there's a light, the driver who is coming too fast from too far back essentially comes down over the hill/incline without knowing and/or (in some cases) caring that there may be a red light. Those who don't know just don't know. Those who know there's a light apparently just plan to stop short if they get it.
Twice since I've been crossing in that area, I've had vehicles come over that "top of the incline/hill" faster than was ideal. one instance didn't involve someone really speeding down over the "can't see" spot. One instance was scarier because the person really was speeding. On the one hand, it's almost better to cross there when it's dark because at least a pedestrian can see that lights upst past the top of that incline. On the other hand, people don't generally expect to see a pedestrian there after dark (but also, pedestrians aren't as visible).
I've run into times when even though the cars that "needed to be stopped" on Street A were stopped, one of those "new" cars from farther back came down past that top of the incline in the lane where there weren't any stopped cars. Sometimes, too, it isn't so much the "incline/speed factor" as it is the combination of sizes of any stopped vehicles.
i once heard a vehicle hit a motorcycle that was stopped at the intersection. When I looked, I saw the guy on the motorcycle lyng in the road. As far as I saw, the car had come down over that hill/incline too fast and just smacked into the stopped motorcycle. The motorcycle driver on the ground didn't just hop up and seem fine. In fact, I wondered whether he was seriously hurt.
So, while it's not that I absolutely will never cross at the provided crosswalk, I pretty much try to avoid it a good part of the time.
Street A - The "Main Drag""
As far as sidewalks go, the "main drag" isn't all that horrible in any number of places/stretches. I'd like to say that when the sidewalks are good they're really good and that it's just a matter of some sections not having any sidewalk at all; but it isn't even that simple.
Where the sidewalks are good they aren't entirely all THAT good, for the most part. They're OK enough, and/or in enough places that they're workable. The stretch of "main drag" that gets me to nearest grocery store has a couple of really good sidwalks for fairly limited stretches. When I say, "really good", I mean "good, like one would find in a city that has good sidewalks". In "the scheme of the town" they're pretty new. Those rare stretches of sidewalk come complete with a "normal curb" and normal sidewalk width (again, I'm good, city, sidewalks as "the gold standard"). There's even a couple/few places with a "ramp-like" cut-out in the curb for crossing. (I'm not up my sidewalk/curb terminology.) Needless to say, those "cut-outs"/ramps are great for people on bikes, with baby strollers, in wheelchairs, or with any disability (like, for example, knee problems).
One problem is they're only where "the ultimate in sidewalks" are. In some stretches there are wider sidewalks that don't have "regular" curbs (although many do). in most other stretches of the "main drag" (Street A, I've decided to call it) the sidewalks are fairly narrow and tend to either have grass/growth/dirt on both sides or only on one side. There may or may not be a curb - depending.
In most stretches even those less-than-ideal sidewalks are OK enough for a person on a bike, with a baby stroller, or with, say, a little shopping cart or wagon, to easily use the sidewalk. There's not always room for two people (with or without any wheels in the mix) to be in any one place at the same time without one of them stepping off to the side of the sidewalk (and sometimes into the road). ("Bikes aren't supposed to be on sidewalks anyway," you may be thinking." Believe me, I'd rather see people (particularly kids/teens, who don't always realize how it is for drivers, and who don't always know enough to be cautious enough) on bikes on the sidewalks.)
This isn't a huge problem, however, because regardless of the kind of wheels someone is involved with, it's not like there are huge mobs of people using those sidewalks at any one time. The bigger problem is more for the person who needs to use those sidewalks and also has, say, a baby stroller or little cart (for groceries, children - any kind of cart). Of course, a light enough cart can more easily be lifted or maneuvered
For the most part (and particularly where the sidewalks are old and narrower, what any pedestrian may run into includes a mix of "imperfections" in the sidewalk, as well as a mix of things like bits of gravel, sand, debris from trees, stringy weeds from the side, and anything else that may/may not be there at any given time or place.
It's not just the actual sidewalks that may or may not be reasonably clear. Challenges for walkers can in things like the irregular surface of any grass/dirt on either side of the sidewalk, and sometimes things like gravel bits and/or sand at the edge of the road.
The real challenge on Street A is where there aren't any sidewalks at all, either because the sidewalk is only on one side (such as where there's a school), or where there's a curve and guard-rail. As with Street B, there are curves where crossing requires particular care (if one chooses to, or must, for some reason) cross at all. What's worse on Street A is that there are more cars coming and/or cars move faster, particularly when there's the illusion of "not much traffic", sometimes only because a set of lights has stopped it for awhile.
There's one stretch of curve that I think of as "just death defying". There's no guard-rail and really no place to walk other than on the edge of the road right at the worst part of the curve(s). Frequent tire tracks in some of the dirt in those places aren't very encouraging for pedestrians. Even when there's not much traffic, however, sometimes those tire tracks create a kind of hardened mud that essentially amount to yet one more kind of potentially ankle-twisting challenge. The overall concern about simply being mowed down is the real problem in these few areas. That concern, however, is enough to make one realize that crossing where it isn't ideal (and involves a curve) is probably the wisest thing.
There's one part of a curve that also involves a stretch of guard-rail with a lot of broken road, or else gravel/sand associated with a nearby storm drain. And, since the road isn't level and it's a curve, it isn't unfeasible to imagine even an adult losing his footing and ending up either partially, or completely under the guard-rail (and what's on that other side of the guard-rail isn't, shall I say, "great"; neither is it on the same level as the road.).
There's another stretch of curve where walking on the other side of the road most often means walking on an accumulation of sand (although a thin layer when it's there) outside of the guard-rail. Adults on bike most often just speed on through that section of Street A. So, I suppose, do kids over a certain age. The challenge is more for people who either have something like, say, any leg "issue"; and/or people wiho have young children with them (in a carriage or stroller, or sometimes in a cart; sometimes on foot) or people who have some kind of shopping cart.
The "inside" (away-from-the-road) side of this particular stretch of guard-rail is truly not great. The choice is venture through whatever growth or inclines there are at street level, or walk through one parking lot that's well below street level and deal with an embankment that has blacktop and is of varying steepness/angles (and sometimes involves - what else? - bits of gravel).
If I recall correctly (and I think I do at this point), if one chooses to navigate one's way on this side of the road, once getting past that particularly challenging spot there's still not really any sidewalk, but there's either parking lot or driveway to come to the rescue. There's also a little stretch of "side-of-the-road" that has some incline that involves grass, dirt and/or pine needles. Once a person gets throught that he can always cross the street (which is easier said than done much of the time) to where there's sidewalk again.
Regardless of where it is on Street A, what I've described is generally "the foundation" for the picture. Where there's more business there are are parking lots that can offer options if/when one sees the need for one. The same applies to driveways, and even lawns/mulch (belonging either to individuals or businesses).
There's a particularly busy stretch of Street A where there are larger businesses and a highway overpass/entrances. Once one is at or near this busier stretch there's generally more traffic, and it's moving more quickly. This whole stretch has its own kind of "horror story situation" for pedestrians. It's been so long since I've even tried to walk in that area I'm not even sure what's there for sidewalks at this point.
Before I wrap up this account of challenges to pedestrians (just in the section of Street A required for me to get to the grocery store), let me just add that while, for the most, puddles along the way aren't a whole lot of problem. In downpours, being splashed by cars can be. Winter and late Spring have whatever mix of snow, ice, and melting there is, or isn't, at any given time.
Needless to say, whether walking on Street A is at all do-able or not in Winter just depends on the conditions. On the one hand, once the sidewalks and streets have been mostly cleared after a big snow-storm, there can be ways to figure out how to navigate this stretch of road. On the other hand, a Winter that has no real big snow-storms and only has, say, four-inches of snow every couple of days (and then some melting and re-freezing, etc.), can make the idea of doing that walk out of the question.
The other two streets involved in either walking to the nearby convenience stores or else to the supermarket (a walk that involves a longer walk on that "main drag") present their own challenges; and I'll eventually write more about those. For now, I want to highlight some aren't associated with sidewalk and/or guardrail-related issues.
Mosquiitos and little flies (or as I call them, "non-descript flyng things") either in the earliest hours of morning, toward or during evening, and on any humid day in warm weather. The mosquitoes and little flies can be pretty unbearable at least one gets to the main street. Aside from either of these getting into one's eyes, there's the matter of them getting into one's hair. I have a "hit-all-itches" policy (which means dead, lightweight-bug, bodies get stuck to my hairspray; which also means feeling like I need to at least comb out how-ever-many may be there every so often).
Bees are out surprisingly early on my street (where the bees are worst but not all that huge a problem). Some will follow a person for surprisingly long stretches of walk.
Then there are beetles and what I call, "non-descript horned things". The NDHT tend to follow people more than most beetles do. Beetles, on the other hand, tend more to make their way into sleeves or down necklines/collars (or not all that infrequently, into hairspray).
Ticks. I'm more concerned with ticks on the main drag because that's where there's more walking in tall stuff that grows. Ticks are almost the least of my worries, though. They are, however, one reason I prefer to wear skirts and sandals that mean I can feel and see things like ticks rather than having them hitch a ride in socks or pant-legs.
Little, tiny, green, hanging "worms". I'm not worried by them, but I really don't want them in my hair or hitting me in the face or eyes.
Moths of all of sorts. (Winter moths can be out in swarms as late as November, as far as I've seen. On a humid and warmer November evening they're another bunch that make a person careful about not eating them while walking amid swarms of them.)
In any case, I'm aggravated by and/or horrified by all of the above. It's one thing to encounter these things here or there. It's another to "soak in" some combination of them for the time it takes to make the walk out to the main street.
Yes, there's bug repellent, but a) I don't really want chemicals, or much of anything else, on me when I'm just out on a walk to the store. If I were going hiking in the woods I'd have to re-think that; but I'm not "that kind" of outdoor person. I like the outdoors where these "issues" either don't exist much or have been discouraged with whatever is done to keep them to a minimum for get-togethers.
Yes, there are natural bug repellents; but here's the thing: I don't want have to put stuff on, particularly if I'm recently showered. Neither do I want to wear a hat (or something like that). None of these bugs is an issue in Winter, when, of course, most hats are pretty acceptable-looking. In bug season (which can run from, say, April/May through November), there's pretty much no hat (that would do the job) that a woman on her way to shop for groceries or run some other errand could wear without looking peculiar on that particular walking route. Of course if someone chose to wear "the running-suit look" and a cap, maybe that would help. I don't wear caps - plain and simple. They aren't me. Besides, the bugs are sometimes so bad on that route I walk, I really think something more along the lines of a bee-keeper's outfit would be in order.
And, by the way, regular eyeglasses don't keep most of these things away from one's eyes. (I guess they slow down the little, hanging, worms - maybe).
Of course, certain times of day and/or certain weather conditions affect how many of these things are out at any time. I often don't have the luxury of choosing which day or time of day I'm out walking (for reasons I'll get to at another time).
Walking In The Suburbs - A "Foundation Post"
Introduction to this long "post" (It's not exactly what one would think of as a "blog post").
I've called this post/page "A Foundation Post" because there are any number of things I want to write about that won't make sense, or present a clear enough picture, without first presenting the "basic backdrop" against which some of those other "issues" exist. For the most part, I don't expect too many people to read this long, tedious, account of the challenges to pedestrians in the suburbs (or at least the kind of suburb where I live, which is kind of rural-turned-semi-rural=-but-only-away-from-the-main-drag.
I figured I'd write this "foundation post" so that, at least, I can refer to it in anything I write in the future.
There are some things that I'd like to write about, but in order for them to make any sense someone would have to have a solid understanding of what's involved in living where I live and having no driver's license or car. (My driver's license was a casualty of a divorce that was handled in a really bizarre way.). I've written about the situation elsewhere. The main point is that things were handled in such a bizarre way (AND, because I couldn't straight answers from people as goal-posts kept being moved by one or another person in "The System"), even when I've had the "spare" x-hundred (or how-ever-many) dollars to get the license squared away, I've just been too "paranoid" about handing over that much money - only to discover that some other goal-post had been moved, and I couldn't get the money back and use it for something that would actually be more useful to me.
In any case, I'm going to post a few kind of random posts as a way of laying a foundation for any number of other things I want to write about.
This first one is about some of things that have made the idea of "just running out for milk" something that only someone in a situation like mine would understand. Basically, there is no such thing as "just running out to the store". This has affected my life and health in ways that one might never expect.
So, here's the first (and first post about some of the "issues" involved with part of the route to few stores at all within "reasonable" walking distance:
My Own Street (I'm Going To Call It "Street D")
On my own street there isn't really much problem walking. There's the occasional storm drain or crack here or there that one has to watch out for. (Storm drains often have some "issue" around them, whether that's breaks in pavement or some other thing that makes the area surrounding them one where a walker has to kind of watch out. ) That's kind of the least of all problems, however. in general, walking is fine on the type of street I live on.
There are some areas that tend to flood to some extent, which means that heavy downpours or rain-with-snow-melting can mean trying to find one's way around those areas; sometimes it's not so much "big flooding" as it is a big puddle that fills the whole street area, but if one walks in the middle of the street (which tends to slant toward the sides), one won't be ankle-deep in water and instead (if one walks very carefully) one's wet shoes won't be filled with water.
Other than that (and the fact that some of those puddle/flooding areas freeze in Winter), the only real thing I have to worry about on my street are two curves where cars that come around the curve a little more quickly than they should can't see a walker because of the curve or trees. People don't really expect to see walkers on the side of the road, but I know to stay on the other side of the street at those curves (provided there's no flooding or ice at/around the storm drains near the curves). In any case, it's not a big problem, but just something to pay attention to.
The bad thing about my street (or streets like it) is that there is no much traffic, so in Winter it's more likely to become, or stay, an icy or snowy situation.
After My Street (I'll Call The Next Street There Is To Deal With On The "Outbound Walk", "Street C"
After my street there's a small (narrow) street that has no sidewalks but has quite a few cars, school buses and/or bigger vehicles during the day. At night that street is close to "pitch dark" because there aren't a lot of street lights. The part of that street that leads me to one that will get me to the town's "main drag" has a curve that's substantial enough for the speed limit to be 25 (which most people ignore). There's a guard rail at that curve. I generally aim to walk on the side of the street that has no guardrail, but the thing with that one's back is to the cars;; and there's a stretch where the person walking would not be seen by cars because of trees or other growth. There's a driveway there, so what I do is keep an eye back, watching for cars that are coming and then step into the driveway far enough from the road so that if a car didn't see me I won't be at the edge of the road.
What's tricky right at the end of my street is that if I don't walk to be on the guardrail side I need to cross to that other side of the street immediately, but what's on that side is (and I don't blame the people who own the house for this) a row of good sized rocks (to keep cars from destroying the street edge of their lawn, I'm assuming - or else maybe just to slow down any cars that are going too fast and may end up in the people's yard). The issue (for me) with those, or any other "yard barriers") is that if a car comes too close to the edge of the road and I want to jump out of the way and onto someone's lawn, doing that would be trickier.
i've figured out that the best thing to do for dealing with that curve section of the that street is to walk a few feet on the guardrail side of the road (where's there's a driveway first anyway), and then cross over to the past-the-rocks section of the other side of the street (which means crossing over to right where that area is that I mentioned that involves a tree and a blocked view of any pedestrians right at that spot.). Also, however, since there's essentially a second curve involved, crossing right there (or someone near it) means having to be particularly careful of cars coming from either direction (particularly those coming too fast because they think it's a back road where "nobody walks").
Once I get past the guardrail I cross back to the side of the street where I can see the cars coming toward me. From there, the only real issue on that street is that there aren't sidewalks and it's narrow. When big vehicles, two vehicles at the same time (going in opposite directions), or just cars that come a little too close to the edge of the street, come by; it requires stepping farther in off the road (where there are things like inclines, growth, rocks, or just the general need to be a little more careful).
The opposite side of the street along that stretch isn't too bad, but there's no real reason to walk on that side on the way out. On the way back it's better to walk on that other side. One problem with that, however, is that the road isn't quite as smooth as it is on the other side.
There are a couple of big trees on that "first" side of the street that are big enough to "hide" a person walking. I'm always aware of choosing to either feel "protected" by the big trees (if a car is going slowly enough) and stepping off the road (to accommodate cars) and being blocked by the trees (physically but in view as well). I just go by what seems right at the moment.
It's all pretty nerve-wracking sometimes, however.
One good thing is that once it's dark (and late enough) that street doesn't have many cars. Another good thing is that headlights mean one can see cars coming from behind curves more easily (hopefully, they have those lights on). The bad thing is that at night people REALLY don't think there'll be anyone walking on that street.
For the most part, that particular street is kind of a "worst-of-all-worlds" kind of street for pedestrians.
When there's ice or puddles there can be pretty much no choice but to walk on, or in, either. It's a back enough street, though, that one can (if one is careful to watch) just kind of scoot up the middle of the road (watching for cars coming in either direction).
This street (or at least the part that I need to walk on in order to get to the next, more "main", street) is not a long street (thankfully). The last challenge is at the end of it, where, because the turn from the next street to this one isn't a clear-cut/sharp turn, and is a more a matter of "bear right" sort of thing; cars tend to whip around that turn fairly quickly. So, there's the matter of keeping that in mind at all times when one is on that particular side of the road. The mini-challenge to this little section of that street is that crossing the road before the place where the cars come whipping around that bend means crossing right where one of those cars might not expect someone right in the middle of that part of the street. There are some trees of varying sizes between where cars start to think about turning and where that turn is, so they're a factor too.
My approach (particularly at night) is often to walk far enough past that turn to be able to walk directly across from the other street to this one. Since it's a "bear right type of thing" that means there's a big section of street to walk by in order to be able to walk directly to that "better" side of the "problem street". Sometimes, if the walk is at night or in Winter, having to add those additional feet/yards (I don't know how many of either is involved, because it can depend on other "variables") isn't really what I feel like doing. Also, that other side of the turn isn't the best with regard to smooth surface.
I pretty much do "whatever" when it comes to what I do by that turn. Either way, there's a whole lot of head-turning and watching involved at least until I get far enough in from that turn where a car that made the turn too fast a) can see me and see slow down and/or b) isn't likely to hit me as a result of that whatever issues are at that turn.
From This Street To The Next (The Longest Stretch/Street To Get To The "Main Drag"). (I'll Call This One, "Street B")
Note: (I probably should have included this note earlier, but here's my reasoning for giving the streets the letters that I've given them, and the order in which I've assigned those letters.)
I'm going to refer to this street as "Street B". (Considering my own street as "Street D", the street I just described as "Street C"; and the "main drag", "Street A". ) I suppose I see Streets A and B as the main issues/problems because the route to "civilization" from where I live is primarily on these two streets. Besides, it makes sense to call the "main drag", "A", I suppose. That's certainly how the town sees/treats it, say, during and after snow- or ice- storms. Fair enough, I know.
The best way to describe my own street when snow/ice are an issue is to say that anyone who knows the street pretty much knows that if one looks out the window and thinks, "OMG. I'm in here until June." or "OMG, what is this? Siberia?" one must remember at all times that if he can get to what I'm now calling "Street C" there's a fairly good chance he'll discover that it's either down to blacktop (or almost to that in some instances), and cars are pretty much coming and going as usual.
My street may not be quite as oppressive and/or discouraging looking for people who don't feel like they're suffocating when there's big, heavy, snow on trees (or worse, when they're so weighed down by it they they're dipped branches form arches). And, it may not be so bad for anyone who doesn't feel like he's suffocating when one can't see at least some hint of blacktop somewhere (and the five/six feet of snow we got last Winter didn't help in this department. As far as I go, however, anything more than light snow, or else heavier snow that doesn't really stay on the trees too long, makes me feel like I'm absolutely suffocating. Well, woods make me feel like I'm suffocating too; and where I live isn't so much a "leafy" suburb as it is a "pine-y" one (which can be perfectly fine as long as a) there's not too much snow and/or b) one keeps to the neighborhoods or main roads (which have continued to replace woods anyway; which I'm not all that pleased about either, ironically enough.
But I digress. Back to "Street B" (in case you've forgotten by now, the second-busier of the two biggest "issue" streets).
Street B
Street B is not horrible, really. It's just that the sidewalk isn't great. How much of a problem that is can depend on who is doing the walking (or running) on it, but also on how long that person will be walking on that street.
One big issue for that side of the street (whether it involves the sidewalk or a whole big area of someone's driveway, the sidewalk, and the street) are puddles. There's a strip of grassy, or grassy stuff, or a mixture of both and dirt (with or without holes of varying degrees/sizes).
In some places that strip of growth/grass is kind of a mound. It other places it's a big mound. Then again, it's flat in some other places. How useful the strip is when there are puddles depends on how big the puddles are and which section of strip is involved. There's also a couple/few places where the puddles cover a whole corner of a sidestreet that needs to be crossed; and the walker is faced with either walking quite a way up the street or else stepping out into Street B and walking way around the puddle (making sure not only that there aren't any cars coming, but also that any that do show up will clearly know that the walker is only walking around a puddle and will be moving back from closer-to-the-middle-of-the-street as soon as possible.
Another problem with Street B is that any sticks, little stones, gravel, acorns, sand, or whatever-else that may be at least a small issue on the sidewalk are also likely to an issue in the "gutter" part of the street. (There's no "gutter", really. There's only a curb in some places. In other places, it may be something more along the lines of climbing down from a mound and into the gutter.) Again, sometimes this stuff doesn't matter as much to some walkers as others. It can depend on any number of things, including whether the walker has, say, a back problem or, say, a leg injury - that type of thing.)
The sidewalk on Street B has enough spots where sand has settled in them to make it obvious that the sidewalk is not completely smooth, even it looks fairly smooth in a lot of places. I've known more than one person to also notice that because the sidewalk is slightly slanted, people know not to walk on that street for exercise because it can bother their back.
Blacktop chunks and breaks can be an issue. They tend to be a bigger problem where sidestreets, or even driveways, intersect Street B and/or its sidewalk. Storm drains tend attract an assortment of "issues" around their edges too. Storm drains, themselves, can also be issues (reason, of course, to climb back up onto the strip of growth and get back down into the "gully" that is the sidewalk (if at all possible).
Leaves sometimes cover over all the "issues". Layers of dry leaves generally mean one must walk carefully (and blindly). Wet leaves present their own set of issues (that may or may not involve "junk" underneath them, puddles, or any sticks that tend to show up more when leaves on the ground are wet.
There are a few places on Street B where the tree roots seem to have created a volcano-like break in the sidwalk; and those areas are a matter of both elevated sidewalk and sharp breaks in the blacktop, mixed in with whatever else has happened where the giant break exists. I don't know if I'd call some of these "root volcanos" or "blacktop volcanos". Maybe both. I don't know... There aren't all that many of them on road from Street C to Street A. The ones that aren't too bad just require careful stepping. The most dramatic ones are kind of a matter of, "OK, so how, exactly, am I going to work this this time?" (Whether or not any puddles or wet grass (whether lawn or "growth strip") are involved can make a difference.) At least one of these "volcanos" has the potential of being qute the ankle twister for anyone who isn't careful. Also, at least one involves not just a "volcano", but the mound variety of growth strip - which means that, for example, the individual who may be a little "tippity" (not to be confused, by the way, with "tipsy") because of something (for example) like some leg injury, or even a loose shoe) has to be very careful not to lose footing and end up toppling off into the "gutter" (as I said, there is no real gutter because there's no curb, or at least no curb that's obvious - probably because the growth has covered any shallow curb; but maybe I just haven't noticed any curb because I make good and sure I stay as close to the top of the "volcano" as possible.)
There's a fairly short (and yet still concerning) part of Street B where the cars kind come around a "minor bend" where the sidewalk isn't as far back from the road as it is on other parts of the street. Long story short on this one: At this particular part of Street B one would be wise to keep an eye on traffic coming from behind (for about two suburban-yards' worth); because as it happens, this is also a part of Street B where cars tend to have picked up a little speed (for reasons I won't go into here).
How Street B sidewalks are in snow: The sidewalks are cleared, but one doesn't really want to make his way into where they're cleared; because they're cleared for a stretch and then that stretch of "cleared" ends with a giant snowbank blocking passage for a pedestrian. (Surprise!! Now the person who has muddled his way over whatever lumps/chunks, and/or ice/puddles there were has to muddle his way back to where there's a driveway opening.) Of course, snowbanks eventually melt, get cleared, or turn into puddlles/ice at the end of sections of sidewalk; but you get the idea.
Of course, before the sidewalks have been cleared (which happens only after the roads have dealt with, which is understandable enough since not too many people want to walk on Street B anyway); snowbanks (which change in degee-of-frozen-ness and height at any time) mean a person must walk in the street, watch for giant plows and cars, and get into driveways when any vehicles come by (because snowbanks also mean walking farther out into the road, of course).
The thing with snowbanks is that if they're low enough or soft enough for a person to jump into, on or over them; there's always that as a way out in the event a vehicle comes too close (assuming there's time, of course). If they're too high and/or too frozen and essentially form a solid wall alongside the road, that's another thing. Most of the time, they aren't all that high. They do tend to be frozen a good part of the time in Winter; but, worst case, a person could jump somewhere onto a frozen snowbank of reasonable height. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it would be beat trying to jump onto/over, say, a waist-high (or higher) frozen snowbank.
I'm probably forgetting some things about the sidewalk side of Street B. It truly is not as horrible as I may make it seem here. it's just that it's not the kind of "sidewalk situation" where one just walks and doesn't have to look down, be careful, or adjust walking/stepping (according to what issue one runs into on any given day and in any given spot on Street B).
The non-sidewalk side of Street B isn't bad. It's mostly a matter of the road/street edge and either sand/dirt or grass/short growth where the blacktop ends (and it usually ends fairly cleanly on this side of the street - at least until one gets closer to the end of it).
Needless to say, one must watch for cars and be ready to act if anything seems "off", but one can see the cars coming toward him (which is different than, say, that part of the sidewalk side of Street B where one walks on the sidewalk but so close to the cars that come around the bend.
There are a couple of places on this side of Street B where one is wisest to not-walk on this side. One place ir worse than the other, but there's a couple of places where there's a not-obvious/kind of subtle curve, and trees can hide any walker who is just past those trees. As is always the case with curves, however, deciding to cross a fairly busy-ish street before getting to riskier section of the curve can mean crossing where cars (coming from one direction or another) may not see/expect a person to be in the middle of the street, crossing.
In any case, I pretty much make it a point (as much as I hate doing this) to switch back to the sidewalk side of the street just in time to have to deal with a sidestreet tha isn't all that easy to cross (for reasons I won't go into here Well, I'll just say there's sometimes a fairly steady stream of cars stopping at a "stop" sign, coming kind of fast over a little hill before getting to it; and also cars making turns into that street from both directions. There are also broken-blacktop, puddle, and "whatever" issues mixed in with a big-tree/visibility issue for anyone trying to cross. It's still better to take "forever" to cross there than to risk being mowed down by a car coming around the bend on the other side of Street B. (In fairness to cars coming around that bend, people generally assume that pedestrians are going to be on the sidewalk; although the high-school girls' track team sometimes runs on that side of the road. Also, I've seen other pedestrians walk there as well.)
Closer to the end of Street B walking on the non-sidewalk side gets trickier. The surface isn't as clean and break- or "little-stuff-free" there. Crossing back to the sidewalk side means doing so where a curve and some trees don't hide the person in the middle of the street (and, again, unexpected to be there). One just has to sort out where, exactly, one can see cars coming from far enough away. It's easier when there's less green but also easier when there's less snow. I've found that I make sure (besides also making sure I can see what's coming from far enough away) that I'm not where there's a lot of under-foot issues to also have to worry about. (One must keep one's head as clear and worry-free as possible when one doesn't want to be mowed down and/or twist an ankle or fall because of not watching what one is doing.)
I don't want to create the impression that the whole time I'm walking on Street B I'm in fear of twisting an ankle, falling, sliding, or being a hit by a car. I'm not. It's just that (at some times, more than others) a person has to keep an eye for all these things (even if it's only keeping an eye toward the ground in acorn-falling season). Well, just yesterday I was on Street B when - all of a sudden and from out of the blue - a good size branch came out of the a tree and landed on the street. My point is not that it could have hit me as I walked on the sidewalk. My point is that sticks and branches and acorns and whatever else are always coming from somewhere on a street like this; and a person has to kind of watch out for not tripping on those too.
At this point on Street B, it's just about time to think of what one will be doing as he decides whether to take a right on Street A (and in my case, head toward a shopping area that includes a supermarket), or up Street A in the other direction (take a left) and settle for one or three convenience stores within reasonable distance (one, closer than the other two but that doesn't sell bread or bread-related items).
Taking a right onto Street A is the easiest thing to do. There's a reasonably minor uphill incline (although it isn't so minor that the person driving a standard transmission doesn't have to worry about rolling back, for example) that gets a person (or a car) from Street B to Street A (if he, or it, is making that right turn). On foot, all one has to do is walk up the sidewalk, take that right, and keep walking on sidewalk for a good stretch of the first part of the walk on the Street A. More on Street A in this direction later. The price for taking the right onto Street A is most often a longer and sometimes more challenging walk to the shopping area. The price for opting for the shortest walk can be something like having to buy Cheetos or doughnuts for dinner.
The other price for opting for the shorter walk is also opting for a scarier street-crossing situation. Sometimes it isn't as bad as other times. It depends on a number of factors that may/may not be related to the traffic. More on some of those factors later. For now I'll address the corner of Street B involved in taking that left to get the store on the other side of Street A.
One problem with that end/corner of Street B is that under-foot is pretty much a "horror show" of one sort or another, starting quite a way back from the corner and, to some extent, for a ways after turning the corner.
Before turning the corner is a matter of things things like gravel, broken blacktop, sand, and assortment of other "issues" that aren't particularly anyone's fault. Once making that turn on Street A there's a storm drain (with "whatever" issue may be around it, and which I won't step on, if for no reason other than not wanting my shoe to get caught in the "grill").
There's also some sand and gravel, or maybe some cracks in the pavement. For some reason, there's usually at least one gross thing (often a couple of gross things) to watch out not to step on. Before all the blizzards began last Winter, there was dead-skunk remains that "wore away" over time. Needless to say, it can takes months for something like that "wear away". I usually wear sandals that can be thrown in the bathtub;; but that doesn't mean I want to step on gross things. Well, yesterday what was featured on the Street A part of this corner was, for some reason, a couple of slices of cold-cuts and a piece of lettuce and some tomato. There may have been a sand-covered hamburger there too. Then, too, there was some pepperoni. In other words, there were a few pieces of garbage on the street where one has to walk (since there is no sidewalk at all there).
If necessary and one really had to do this, there is stepping up over a high curb and walking on someone's lawn. Besides assuming that people probably don't prefer pedestrians' wearing a path acoss their lawn; in Winter I've found that there can be holes/dents or sometimes rocks on the lawns. Also, since they're not meant for pedestrians, there can be branches hanging. The "off-the-road" area isn't just people's homes, though. There are some businesses, so a person can step up off the road walk onto grass or in driveways without feeling too bad about it (or having to, as far as I'm concerned).
What makes even wanting/needing to step up on that high curb to get off the street is that there's a site of lights at the intersection, and cars that are about to make a right around that kind of rounded corner and onto Street B often cut it close as they do. Also, because it's a main street that gets a lot of traffic (particularly at certain times of day), there can be two lanes of stopped traffic and/or things like good-sized trucks that take up quite a bit of road.
The trouble with stepping up on the curb for even that relatively short stretch of the walk is that a person has to be careful not to let his foot slip and kind of fall into the street. Wet curbs can be slippery. Stepping up and "way over" the curb and onto grass/growth can mean being farther back in from the road (not really far back), which can be a challenge (particularly for the person who has, say, a leg injury; but even for someone with, say, a baby stroller). Getting from "far back" and "up on high ground or curb" down into the street (where the cars are - stopped, turning, or just passing) just adds more steps/complication to the matter of getting out into the street and across as soon as possible.
Here's the thing, though: People aren't supposed to cross from this particular spot (a little ways up from the corner) because they're supposed to cross at the crosswalk, which is essentially associated with the other corner at the end of Street B.
Before addressing of my own (but I've noticed some other people's too) issue with the crosswalks provided at the end of Street B, I'd like to mention that the return trip to get back on Street B from Street A is particularly challenging (mainly because so many cars are whipping around that corner at a "decent" speed, but also because they can be coming across Street A from "the other end of Street B" (and often, since they're scooting through the lights, at a "decent" speed). Cars make a left turn onto Street B from Street A. Sometimes they've been stopped at the lights. Sometimes not. For the most part, those making that left onto Street B seem like less of a worry because that turn has to be made more carefully because the lights that stop traffic coming from that side of Street A are at the bottom of a hill; and the turn onto Street B is lower than the lights. The hill factor can mean that
people who are making that left on Street B are more likely to see the person walking on that side of the road.
So why not just use the crosswalks and "push-the-button-to-walk" that are designed for people who want to get across Street A once reaching the end of Street B?
I had my reasons long before I had any leg injuries that made difficult things such as
stepping up on things like curbs, or even (at least for awhile before the injuries were completely healed) walking down even the slightest inclines (as those provided for people who need a "ramp type of thing" rather than a curb) I avoided using that crosswalk/light feature when it seemed like a wiser idea.
Street A (again, "main drag" in a suburb) has different levels of traffic. Sometimes there are barely any cars on Street A. That means, of course, that crossing is easy enough. It can also mean that there's the occasional (or frequent) car that drives at a speed a little (or a lot) higher than the usual speed used on that street. The "usual speed" is a "fairly decent" speed anyway. With more "standard" traffic, or "medium" traffic, it's almost the worst of all worlds when it comes to crossing that street - seemingly unrelenting cars, all coming at a "fairly decent" speed.
At times when the traffic is the town's version of "rush hour" and/or when "everyone" is out doing their shopping, it can almost be better for pedestrians because there's more stop-and-go traffic going on, at least at places like lights and turns. Then again, if things are REALLY busy, stop-and-go isn't always a help; because there can be all kinds of turns being made by vehicles coming and going from too many different directions (which can be overwhelming for a pedestrian who knows enough to be overwhelmed by the potential hazards in crossing).
In any case, on a street where vehicles are the primary focus, the lights are set and located accordingly (needless to say). At the intersection of Street A and Street B the lights are set to favor Street A. In other words, they're super-quick. The walk/don't-walk feature is also super quick. Before I had any leg issues I had no problem walking quickly, but I found that "walk" feature really, really, brief. I saw, too, that other people (like mothers with a small, walking, child and/or mothers with a stroller) didn't get across the street before "don't walk" was back. In fact, it seemed to me that almost the only people who made it across before "don't walk" was back were kids/people on bikes.
Sure, drivers aren't supposed to just start going once the "don't walk" happens; but not all drivers have been stopped for the "walk". And sure, the quickness, as I knew it then, did allow the average fast-walker to almost get across. Still, with vehicles coming from different directions, this issue (which, I suppose, wasn't/sn't all that serious, considering the number of pedestrians over the course of a day); a person didn't feel great crossing at those lights. Then, of course, once my leg injuries meant there was a challenge in getting from sidewalk or "island" down into the street (and sometimes over the sand, gravel, or whatever); that created a whole "deal" with pushing the button for light and getting into the street fast enough to make that light. (It was a whole thing that I won't go more into here.
The concern for me is that the lights, as I said, are at the bottom of a hill. It isn't a steep hill. It's more a "decent incline". The potential problem is that pedestrians crossing at those lights can't be seen by drivers who come too fast from the "can't-see-them" spot (before coming farther down that incline). Much of the time that doesn't have to be a concern because there's a point where someone may not be able to see the pedestrian but is slowed down or stopped by other cars that are sitting at the light. Keep in mind that the light favors Street A, which means clearing out those stopped cars as quickly as possible. More of a problem than just that can be that whether or the end of the line of cars stopped tips off anyone coming from farther back that there's a light, the driver who is coming too fast from too far back essentially comes down over the hill/incline without knowing and/or (in some cases) caring that there may be a red light. Those who don't know just don't know. Those who know there's a light apparently just plan to stop short if they get it.
Twice since I've been crossing in that area, I've had vehicles come over that "top of the incline/hill" faster than was ideal. one instance didn't involve someone really speeding down over the "can't see" spot. One instance was scarier because the person really was speeding. On the one hand, it's almost better to cross there when it's dark because at least a pedestrian can see that lights upst past the top of that incline. On the other hand, people don't generally expect to see a pedestrian there after dark (but also, pedestrians aren't as visible).
I've run into times when even though the cars that "needed to be stopped" on Street A were stopped, one of those "new" cars from farther back came down past that top of the incline in the lane where there weren't any stopped cars. Sometimes, too, it isn't so much the "incline/speed factor" as it is the combination of sizes of any stopped vehicles.
i once heard a vehicle hit a motorcycle that was stopped at the intersection. When I looked, I saw the guy on the motorcycle lyng in the road. As far as I saw, the car had come down over that hill/incline too fast and just smacked into the stopped motorcycle. The motorcycle driver on the ground didn't just hop up and seem fine. In fact, I wondered whether he was seriously hurt.
So, while it's not that I absolutely will never cross at the provided crosswalk, I pretty much try to avoid it a good part of the time.
Street A - The "Main Drag""
As far as sidewalks go, the "main drag" isn't all that horrible in any number of places/stretches. I'd like to say that when the sidewalks are good they're really good and that it's just a matter of some sections not having any sidewalk at all; but it isn't even that simple.
Where the sidewalks are good they aren't entirely all THAT good, for the most part. They're OK enough, and/or in enough places that they're workable. The stretch of "main drag" that gets me to nearest grocery store has a couple of really good sidwalks for fairly limited stretches. When I say, "really good", I mean "good, like one would find in a city that has good sidewalks". In "the scheme of the town" they're pretty new. Those rare stretches of sidewalk come complete with a "normal curb" and normal sidewalk width (again, I'm good, city, sidewalks as "the gold standard"). There's even a couple/few places with a "ramp-like" cut-out in the curb for crossing. (I'm not up my sidewalk/curb terminology.) Needless to say, those "cut-outs"/ramps are great for people on bikes, with baby strollers, in wheelchairs, or with any disability (like, for example, knee problems).
One problem is they're only where "the ultimate in sidewalks" are. In some stretches there are wider sidewalks that don't have "regular" curbs (although many do). in most other stretches of the "main drag" (Street A, I've decided to call it) the sidewalks are fairly narrow and tend to either have grass/growth/dirt on both sides or only on one side. There may or may not be a curb - depending.
In most stretches even those less-than-ideal sidewalks are OK enough for a person on a bike, with a baby stroller, or with, say, a little shopping cart or wagon, to easily use the sidewalk. There's not always room for two people (with or without any wheels in the mix) to be in any one place at the same time without one of them stepping off to the side of the sidewalk (and sometimes into the road). ("Bikes aren't supposed to be on sidewalks anyway," you may be thinking." Believe me, I'd rather see people (particularly kids/teens, who don't always realize how it is for drivers, and who don't always know enough to be cautious enough) on bikes on the sidewalks.)
This isn't a huge problem, however, because regardless of the kind of wheels someone is involved with, it's not like there are huge mobs of people using those sidewalks at any one time. The bigger problem is more for the person who needs to use those sidewalks and also has, say, a baby stroller or little cart (for groceries, children - any kind of cart). Of course, a light enough cart can more easily be lifted or maneuvered
For the most part (and particularly where the sidewalks are old and narrower, what any pedestrian may run into includes a mix of "imperfections" in the sidewalk, as well as a mix of things like bits of gravel, sand, debris from trees, stringy weeds from the side, and anything else that may/may not be there at any given time or place.
It's not just the actual sidewalks that may or may not be reasonably clear. Challenges for walkers can in things like the irregular surface of any grass/dirt on either side of the sidewalk, and sometimes things like gravel bits and/or sand at the edge of the road.
The real challenge on Street A is where there aren't any sidewalks at all, either because the sidewalk is only on one side (such as where there's a school), or where there's a curve and guard-rail. As with Street B, there are curves where crossing requires particular care (if one chooses to, or must, for some reason) cross at all. What's worse on Street A is that there are more cars coming and/or cars move faster, particularly when there's the illusion of "not much traffic", sometimes only because a set of lights has stopped it for awhile.
There's one stretch of curve that I think of as "just death defying". There's no guard-rail and really no place to walk other than on the edge of the road right at the worst part of the curve(s). Frequent tire tracks in some of the dirt in those places aren't very encouraging for pedestrians. Even when there's not much traffic, however, sometimes those tire tracks create a kind of hardened mud that essentially amount to yet one more kind of potentially ankle-twisting challenge. The overall concern about simply being mowed down is the real problem in these few areas. That concern, however, is enough to make one realize that crossing where it isn't ideal (and involves a curve) is probably the wisest thing.
There's one part of a curve that also involves a stretch of guard-rail with a lot of broken road, or else gravel/sand associated with a nearby storm drain. And, since the road isn't level and it's a curve, it isn't unfeasible to imagine even an adult losing his footing and ending up either partially, or completely under the guard-rail (and what's on that other side of the guard-rail isn't, shall I say, "great"; neither is it on the same level as the road.).
There's another stretch of curve where walking on the other side of the road most often means walking on an accumulation of sand (although a thin layer when it's there) outside of the guard-rail. Adults on bike most often just speed on through that section of Street A. So, I suppose, do kids over a certain age. The challenge is more for people who either have something like, say, any leg "issue"; and/or people wiho have young children with them (in a carriage or stroller, or sometimes in a cart; sometimes on foot) or people who have some kind of shopping cart.
The "inside" (away-from-the-road) side of this particular stretch of guard-rail is truly not great. The choice is venture through whatever growth or inclines there are at street level, or walk through one parking lot that's well below street level and deal with an embankment that has blacktop and is of varying steepness/angles (and sometimes involves - what else? - bits of gravel).
If I recall correctly (and I think I do at this point), if one chooses to navigate one's way on this side of the road, once getting past that particularly challenging spot there's still not really any sidewalk, but there's either parking lot or driveway to come to the rescue. There's also a little stretch of "side-of-the-road" that has some incline that involves grass, dirt and/or pine needles. Once a person gets throught that he can always cross the street (which is easier said than done much of the time) to where there's sidewalk again.
Regardless of where it is on Street A, what I've described is generally "the foundation" for the picture. Where there's more business there are are parking lots that can offer options if/when one sees the need for one. The same applies to driveways, and even lawns/mulch (belonging either to individuals or businesses).
There's a particularly busy stretch of Street A where there are larger businesses and a highway overpass/entrances. Once one is at or near this busier stretch there's generally more traffic, and it's moving more quickly. This whole stretch has its own kind of "horror story situation" for pedestrians. It's been so long since I've even tried to walk in that area I'm not even sure what's there for sidewalks at this point.
Before I wrap up this account of challenges to pedestrians (just in the section of Street A required for me to get to the grocery store), let me just add that while, for the most, puddles along the way aren't a whole lot of problem. In downpours, being splashed by cars can be. Winter and late Spring have whatever mix of snow, ice, and melting there is, or isn't, at any given time.
Needless to say, whether walking on Street A is at all do-able or not in Winter just depends on the conditions. On the one hand, once the sidewalks and streets have been mostly cleared after a big snow-storm, there can be ways to figure out how to navigate this stretch of road. On the other hand, a Winter that has no real big snow-storms and only has, say, four-inches of snow every couple of days (and then some melting and re-freezing, etc.), can make the idea of doing that walk out of the question.
The other two streets involved in either walking to the nearby convenience stores or else to the supermarket (a walk that involves a longer walk on that "main drag") present their own challenges; and I'll eventually write more about those. For now, I want to highlight some aren't associated with sidewalk and/or guardrail-related issues.
Mosquiitos and little flies (or as I call them, "non-descript flyng things") either in the earliest hours of morning, toward or during evening, and on any humid day in warm weather. The mosquitoes and little flies can be pretty unbearable at least one gets to the main street. Aside from either of these getting into one's eyes, there's the matter of them getting into one's hair. I have a "hit-all-itches" policy (which means dead, lightweight-bug, bodies get stuck to my hairspray; which also means feeling like I need to at least comb out how-ever-many may be there every so often).
Bees are out surprisingly early on my street (where the bees are worst but not all that huge a problem). Some will follow a person for surprisingly long stretches of walk.
Then there are beetles and what I call, "non-descript horned things". The NDHT tend to follow people more than most beetles do. Beetles, on the other hand, tend more to make their way into sleeves or down necklines/collars (or not all that infrequently, into hairspray).
Ticks. I'm more concerned with ticks on the main drag because that's where there's more walking in tall stuff that grows. Ticks are almost the least of my worries, though. They are, however, one reason I prefer to wear skirts and sandals that mean I can feel and see things like ticks rather than having them hitch a ride in socks or pant-legs.
Little, tiny, green, hanging "worms". I'm not worried by them, but I really don't want them in my hair or hitting me in the face or eyes.
Moths of all of sorts. (Winter moths can be out in swarms as late as November, as far as I've seen. On a humid and warmer November evening they're another bunch that make a person careful about not eating them while walking amid swarms of them.)
In any case, I'm aggravated by and/or horrified by all of the above. It's one thing to encounter these things here or there. It's another to "soak in" some combination of them for the time it takes to make the walk out to the main street.
Yes, there's bug repellent, but a) I don't really want chemicals, or much of anything else, on me when I'm just out on a walk to the store. If I were going hiking in the woods I'd have to re-think that; but I'm not "that kind" of outdoor person. I like the outdoors where these "issues" either don't exist much or have been discouraged with whatever is done to keep them to a minimum for get-togethers.
Yes, there are natural bug repellents; but here's the thing: I don't want have to put stuff on, particularly if I'm recently showered. Neither do I want to wear a hat (or something like that). None of these bugs is an issue in Winter, when, of course, most hats are pretty acceptable-looking. In bug season (which can run from, say, April/May through November), there's pretty much no hat (that would do the job) that a woman on her way to shop for groceries or run some other errand could wear without looking peculiar on that particular walking route. Of course if someone chose to wear "the running-suit look" and a cap, maybe that would help. I don't wear caps - plain and simple. They aren't me. Besides, the bugs are sometimes so bad on that route I walk, I really think something more along the lines of a bee-keeper's outfit would be in order.
And, by the way, regular eyeglasses don't keep most of these things away from one's eyes. (I guess they slow down the little, hanging, worms - maybe).
Of course, certain times of day and/or certain weather conditions affect how many of these things are out at any time. I often don't have the luxury of choosing which day or time of day I'm out walking (for reasons I'll get to at another time).
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